After All This Time
by evgrrl09
Summary: High school sweethearts Derek and Penelope end up having a child while they're teens. 16 years later, their precocious daughter tries to bring them together once more when Derek transfers to the BAU. But even when obstacles try to separate them, these two will always be tied to one another. Morgan/Garcia AU.
1. Too Young

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **AN**

 **2000**

" _What are you trying to tell me?" Derek asked, leaning in and taking Penelope's hands._

 _She trembled. Nausea rolled through her. "Listen, Derek, I…"_

 _Derek frowned. "Are you regretting what we did?" he asked with a_ _softness in his voice. It was so uncharacteristic for him, he who so usually had a joke in his voice. And she sat here, about to further take the humor from his spirit._

 _She shook her head. "No, I don't regret it," she said. "But, something…_ happened _from it."_

" _Baby Girl, you gotta tell me what's going on," he said with a nervous laugh. "If I did something wrong, or – "_

 _She cut him off by blurting out, "I'm pregnant, Derek."_

 _That certainly silenced him. His mouth fell open, then clamped shut again_ _._ _Tears filled Penelope's eyes. He felt the same as she did._

" _What do we do?" he asked._

 _She snorted. "How the hell should I know? It's not like we know a lot about how to handle this sort of thing."_

 _He gulped. "Have you told anyone else yet? Like your parents?"_

 _Penelope bit her lip and nodded. "I told them," she mumbled, putting her face in her hands. "We're lucky my dad isn't pressing charges against you."_

"What _?" Derek yelped. "He could do that?"_

 _She nodded, thankful they didn't have that issue to contend with. "You turned eighteen right before we…anyway, courts don't tend to like fifteen year olds dating boys who are legally adults, even if we've been dating for a long time."_

 _Derek had visibly paled at her mention of courts, but he took a deep breath. "Well, even though we're young, I'm gonna do this right. We can get married, we'll have the kid, we'll figure it out." He took her hands. "I love you, Baby Girl. I want this to work."_

 _Looking down, Penelope swallowed hard and took her hand back. Usually she was not at a loss for words, but right now she had nothing. She was three months along in a pregnancy she didn't know if she could handle. But one thing that she knew for sure was that she couldn't tie down Derek. What he was offering would mean the end to his dreams of being in law enforcement, of being a hero. She couldn't take that away from him. For her, she was too young to make a decision about marriage._

" _I…I can't marry you," she said, finally looking up at him. "I just can't."_

 _Derek stared her for a moment, his eyes wounded. "Do you not feel the same way about me that I do about you?" he asked, his voice tight._

 _His uncertainty pained her heart, and she swallowed hard. She had no idea how to answer him. Her simple answer would have been that yes, she did love him. They'd known one another since childhood, had been best friends before going out. But she was young – they were both young – and she didn't have it inside herself to get married now. That kind of commitment was far more than she was ready for._

" _That's not what this is about," she said. "I just…I can't get married. I'm not even out of high school, Derek. I have things I want to do with my life. I'm not ready to just be tied down and a full time mother. It's not what I want."_

 _Derek swallowed hard. "Do you still want me to be a part of your life? Of the baby's life?"_

 _Penelope gave him a small smile and took his hand. "There's no way you_ won't _be a part of my life now," she said._

XXXXX

 **2016**

"Damaris! Come pick up your stuff from the table so we can eat dinner!" Penelope Garcia called to her sixteen year old daughter. She finished stirring the marinara sauce in the pot before turning off the burner. She turned around to make sure she'd put dishes out, but when her daughter did not appear, she pursed her lips. Strolling through the apartment to Damaris' room, she knocked on the door, only to find her child wasn't there and her cellphone was on the desk.

With a sigh, Penelope closed the door to her daughter's room softly and readied herself to head upstairs. Damaris had a habit of disappearing to the roof of their apartment building when she had responsibilities like homework she wanted to avoid.

When Penelope pushed open the roof's door, she found her daughter perched on her rickety lawn chair she had beside the ledge. Damaris stared out over the section of Washington DC where they lived, her back to Penelope as she came up. Her daughter didn't even stir when the heavy door groaned shut. Penelope's lips quirked into a smile, thinking Damaris must have had her headphones in if she could not hear that damn door.

"Hey, squirt," Penelope said, going up behind Damaris. She put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, making the girl jump in alarm. Penelope laughed, her voice coming out like a twinkling bell. Leaning down, she kissed Damaris' forehead. She ruffled her daughter's mass of dark, curly hair. "Time for dinner." She smiled.

Damaris Morgan looked up at her mother, blinking her dark eyes several times before she pulled one of her headphones out of her ears. The music was entirely too loud after she took her headphones out, and Penelope winced at the fact it had been in her daughter's ears just a moment ago. Damaris smiled immediately, the whiteness of her teeth almost blinding. She wore a pair of thick-rimmed black glasses instead of her contacts right then.

"Mom!" she said, holding up her headphone. "You _need_ to hear this song that Dad sent me. He said he got it from Jenna before they broke up, and he never really liked it, but he said I would so he sent it to me." She held up the ear bud. "Wanna hear?"

Pursing her lips, Penelope placed her hand over the still-playing headphone. "Ah, no," she said. "I'm good." She didn't want to know what kind of music Jenna had listened to.

Damaris sighed, turning the music off. "Your loss," she said, linking elbows with her mother. "You know, Jenna was alright. I liked her better than Danielle." The two of them started back to the door to go to dinner. Penelope rolled her eyes at the idea of Derek's girlfriends, knowing that their daughter had seen them come and go over the years. Sometimes she never even met them before Derek moved on.

"Well, Derek has always known how to pick 'em," Penelope drawled, kissing her daughter's forehead. She'd always been impressed with how fast Derek could go through girlfriends. After their split when her parents died and Penelope moved away, he'd swiftly risen through the ranks of law enforcement and into Chicago's FBI field office…and through the female population of Chicago, as well.

Penelope had no reason to care, though. She'd said goodbye to Derek a long time ago, not wanting to take away either of their chances at what they wanted. And they had it; Derek was a special agent in charge in Chicago's field office, and Penelope had wound up working for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. The whole time they both retained strong relationships with their daughter, the one they'd had so young.

Everything had worked out well enough.

"Mom?" Damaris asked, shaking her mother's arm gently as they meandered down the stairs back to their apartment.

"Huh?" Penelope said absentmindedly.

"Did you hear me?" Damaris asked, opening the apartment door. She kicked off her shoes and turned around to start walking backward to the kitchen with a grin. Penelope shook her head, and Damaris rolled her eyes playfully. "I asked when the next time I could see Dad? It's been a few months, and I know he had that undercover assignment and that's why he couldn't see me last month, but I – "

Penelope laughed and put her hand over her daughter's mouth. "Okay, motor mouth," she said. "Slow your roll." She kissed her daughter's forehead before getting the food off the stove for them and putting it on a potholder on their small kitchen table.

"But Mom, I really want to ask if I can go visit him," Damaris said, pulling her chair in closer toward the table. "And I don't want him to beat himself up if I ask him because I know he'll feel really bad if I ask him."

Sitting down, Penelope smiled across the table at her daughter. "Baby, you know your dad will always listen to you," she said as she started to put pasta on her plate. "If you talk to him and tell him you want to see him soon, he won't ignore you." Penelope knew Derek and his faults better than most people, just as he knew _hers_ better than anyone else, but one thing she knew about him was he cared more about his daughter than anything else. He dropped anything and everything if she needed it. Damaris knew that, and she tried her hardest to have her mother express her desires to Derek that she wanted to see him.

"I just don't want him to feel like he has to take time off work to see me if he's really busy," Damaris said before taking a bite of her garlic bread.

Penelope watched her daughter begin to eat. She was unsure of what to say now. Damaris had lived most of her life in a different part of the country than where her father was, but she made up for it by trying to see him as often as possible. And when his schedule was too busy for her to be there to physically visit, Skype helped. But that separation hurt both of them, and Penelope hated seeing the effect it had on both of them.

"Baby," Penelope said, sitting up straighter in her chair. "I want you to go to your laptop and Skype him right now. You need to go ask him if you can come visit him."

Damaris blinked several times, chewing her most recent bite slowly. "Umm…right now?" she asked. She pointed at her plate in front of her. "I'm still eating."

Her mother pointed at the hallway. "Go. Call him."

"Food," Damaris shot back.

Penelope could see Damaris really didn't want to go, knowing that she had no chance at getting her mother to talk to Derek for her. But Penelope wouldn't back down. Damaris needed to do this for herself.

Damaris huffed and put her fork down. "Ugh, you're the worst," she mumbled, getting up. She planted a kiss on the top of Penelope's head before bounding off to her bedroom.

Pleased with herself, Penelope grinned and took a satisfied bite of her dinner. It would be good for both of them to see Derek again. A little Derek Morgan went a long way in someone's life. She was looking forward to seeing Damaris' smile widen.


	2. A Father's Surprise

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hey, all! So I realized I never added my author's note to the first chapter of this new story. Well, here it is now. This is a new AU I've been working on the outline for since my previous semester, so it's all planned out and should go relatively smooth :) Quick note: I have made Lewis a regular team member in this story because I really loved her last season! I very much appreciate you taking out the time to read this, and thank you for the reviews posted already on the first chapter.**

 _Tuesday_

Derek Morgan sat in his apartment full of boxes, finishing up the last few emails he needed to send before commencing with his move. He smiled at the thought of the transfer to the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. His happiness wasn't at the fact he was about to be in one of the most elite units in the entire country; that was only a minor part of it. No, what he was most thrilled about was the prospect of being even closer to his daughter. Rarely did he get to see Damaris when it wasn't over Skype.

And it was all going to be kept secret. So far, he'd managed to avoid detection from either Damaris or Penelope about the fact he was going to be the newest BAU agent. It surprised him greatly that his former high school sweetheart who had not yet found out; usually she was more tenacious about getting answers.

As he finished sending his final email to the BAU's Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner regarding his arrival the following week, his computer began playing the tune that signaled an incoming Skype call. Grinning, he answered it. His daughter's face appeared on the screen, and he leaned back on his couch, making sure that she could not see the moving boxes littering his apartment.

"Hi, Dad!" she said, a large smile appearing on her face.

Derek smiled. "Hey, Baby. Isn't it dinner time where you are?"

Damaris nodded, then rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said. "But Mom made me come in here and give you a call before she would let me finish."

"Oh, did she?" Derek shook his head and chuckled. "That sounds like your mama when she sets her mind on something." Smiling, he added, "So, what's up?"

Sticking out her tongue, Damaris laughed nervously. She had a whole regimen of odd habits she did when she was nervous about something. "Eh, it's not a big deal," she said, her eyes diverting from the camera on her laptop briefly. "I was just wondering if there would be some time when I could come visit you. If you want, I could even stay at Grandma Fran's if you need me out of the way!" She said her last sentence in a brighter tone, seeming to hope it would make her request more appealing.

At that moment Derek almost spoiled his secret to her. The look in her eyes was so hopeful that he knew she was going to be heartbroken at his lie. But a small voice told him that his surprise would be all the more better if she thought he could not see her.

With a fake grimace on his face, Derek shook his head. "Oh, Baby," he said in a sad voice. "I…I can't anytime soon. And if you were here I'd want you to stay with me. But right now I'm just so busy training new agents that I won't be able to spend any time with you." That was partly true; he was training his replacement to take charge of his team when he moved.

Although the look of pure joy on her face when he surprised her might not be worth it. He watched as Damaris' hopeful face turned to one of pure sadness. Her eyes dropped to her fingers, and she bit her lip, nodding slowly. "Oh, okay," she mumbled.

Swallowing hard, he said, "I'm so sorry, Baby. But believe me, when we do get to see each other again, I'll make it up to you. I promise."

Damaris looked back up at him and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, that sounds good," she said. "I really miss you, Dad."

An invisible knife twisted Derek's heart. "I miss you, too, Baby," he said. "And really, I promise that I'll make it up to you."

With a bright grin that rivaled his own, Damaris waved at the screen. "Well, I've got homework to finish after I eat, so I'm gonna go eat."

"Keep those grades up," he said, half sternly. His daughter was the smartest girl he'd ever met; he wanted her to stay that way.

Damaris rolled her eyes. "Ugh, quit beating the dead horse, Dad," she said. "Love you!"

With a chuckle, Derek waved back. "Love you too, Damaris." Leaning back into his couch, he sighed and stared at the ceiling. A surprise for his daughter would be worth it, but that didn't change the distinct feeling in his gut that he had hurt her in a way he would never feel good about.

Several hours after hanging up with his daughter, Derek's phone rang while he finished packing up his boxes. Without bothering to glance at the caller ID, he answered. "Morgan."

"Care to tell me why my daughter looked glum all evening," a curt voice responded on the other end of the line.

Rubbing his forehead, Derek sighed. He knew this call would be coming eventually. Sitting down on a stack of boxes, he brightened his tone. "To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing from my baby mama tonight?" he joked.

"Don't call me that," Penelope snapped.

Unable to stop himself from laughing, Derek added, "Sorry. Mother of my daughter. How does that sound?"

He could almost feel her eye roll from across the country. And as expected, she ignored his attempt at rephrasing her nickname. "I want to know why you can't take a few days out of your _oh so busy_ schedule to spend time with your daughter. You haven't seen her in over six months."

"Penelope – " he tried to say.

She cut him off, her voice still going a hundred miles an hour. "Damaris loves you so much, and she is willing to stay at your mother's house if it means getting spend at least a few _hours_ with you. I want you to try your hardest to make a visit happen. I don't care which flavor of the month you've moved onto by now, you're going to make time for your daughter and not be an ass!"

"Flavor of the month?" Derek asked, somewhat taken aback at the venom she'd thrown in with that phrase.

Penelope huffed. "Yeah, that's right," she said. "Flavor of the month. You're so busy working and playing the nearest floozy into your bed that you can't even spend time with our daughter."

"Hey now," he said. "That's hitting a bit below the belt."

"Yeah, well sometimes I think I need to hit a bit below the belt if I'm going to get through your thick, cue ball head."

He sighed deeply. He swore that sometimes she still thought he was in high school, curly hair and all. "Penelope, do you honestly think I would be saying I couldn't see her if I _could_?" Derek asked, keeping his voice remarkably calm. He knew Penelope would be able to tell if he was lying; she'd always been able to tell better than anyone else with him.

She stayed silent for a moment. After the long stretch ended, she sighed, "You're right. I know you want to see her. But Derek…Damaris doesn't get to see you a whole lot. I think it would be good for you both."

 _Oh, you're in for a surprise, Baby Girl._

"I know. Trust me, I know," he said. "I'm leading the Chicago team, though, Baby Girl. You know that's a big job."

Penelope sighed. But when she spoke again, her voice did sound lighter. "Are you ever _not_ going to call me that?" she asked, a chuckle dotting the end of her sentence.

He grinned. She already full well knew the answer to that question. "I told her I would make it up to her," he said. "And I plan to. I just…I just need a little time."

"I know she means more to you than anyone else," Penelope said, her voice full of feeling. "I want Damaris to know that, too."

"Trust me, Penelope," he said, "the way I make it up to her is going to be more than enough to make it up to her."

That, Derek knew, was something he could say with confidence.

XXXXX

 _Sunday Night_

"Mom, can you get the door?" Damaris called from her spot on the couch. She lazily prepared herself to switch to the next episode of her selected show on Netflix, but the sound of a knock on the door was quickly getting in the way and on her nerves. "Mom?"

Her mother's voice came faintly, "I'm just getting out of the shower! You can get it, lazy butt." A small laugh followed.

Rolling her eyes and huffing in her teenage fashion, Damaris rose from the couch and started toward the door. She grumbled the whole way there, twirling a strand of her curly hair on her finger. "First making me do homework, then making me answer the freakin' door," she muttered, sticking out her tongue in a joking manner.

Once at the door, she yanked it open, demanding, "Who the hell comes knocking at – "

But her voice stopped abruptly in her throat. Shock, disbelief, and joy filled her heart. Her mouth dropped open. She could hardly find words to greet the bright grin and leather jacket in front of her.

" _Dad_?" she gasped.


	3. The BAU's New Agent

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hey, all! Here's the next one. We're going to see Penelope's POV from the day before Derek showed up, then the present. Thanks so much for the reviews, too :)**

 _Earlier That Day_

"Alright, Garcie," Jennifer Jareau said, sitting down across from Penelope at lunch. "Spill to us what's going on."

Penelope, who had been huffing all day, narrowed her eyes at JJ and Tara Lewis, another member of the BAU team. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Lewis laughed. "You're kidding, right?" she said. "You've been acting like you're ready to snap at any second. I saw the look on your face when Reid spilled your coffee."

"Yes, that was classic!" JJ said, sipping from her water glass. "The poor kid looked terrified."

Rolling her eyes, Penelope closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. She remembered sending Damaris to school that morning. The look of absolute dejection on her daughter's face devastated Penelope. Damaris' sadness had everything to do with her father's announcement they would not be able to see one another anytime soon, even though it had been months since they had seen one another.

"Oh, it's Derek," she muttered, rubbing her temple.

Lewis arched a brow. "Derek? The baby daddy?" She smirked, knowing Penelope hated when they referred to Derek as her "baby daddy."

Ignoring her friend's comment, Penelope continued on. "He's not able to spend time with Damaris," she said. "It's been months, and he's still too busy to visit with her." She shook her head. "You know, she went to school this morning without so much as a smile on her face."

JJ pouted a moment. "Oh, poor Damaris," she said.

Penelope made a motion of strangling the air. "I just hate how he gets her hopes up like this!" she said, anger rising in her gut. "He's always been like this, kind of flighty." Memories of their young love affair, when they were allowed to be naïve and carefree, began flooding back to her, and she sighed deeply. "He's a wonderful person, and Damaris is the most precious thing in the world to him, but he's never been able to grow up."

"Is that true, though?" JJ said. "I mean, he _is_ in charge of the Chicago unit. That takes a lot of _grown up_ behavior." She smiled wryly.

"Didn't he want to marry you?" Lewis asked.

Penelope burst out laughing. " _That_ was never going to happen!" she crowed. "I loved him so much when we were young, and I still love him as platonically as possible, but like I said, he never learned to grow up. After my parents died, I really had to get on my feet, and he didn't seem to get that. And he's three years older than me. That's why I left him."

"You were kids, Garcia," Lewis said. "You don't think he's changed at all now?"

Penelope snorted as the waiter approached their table. "That'll be the day," she said before turning to the waiter to order her lunch.

XXXXX

 _Present Day_

Penelope shook her head as she laughed at Damaris' griping about having to answer the door. It was probably their next door neighbor, Mrs. Swithin, asking if they'd seen her cat who frequently ran away. She slid her pajamas on, sliding her glasses back onto her face and wrapping her towel over her hair.

However, as she reached for the doorknob to leave the bathroom, Damaris squealed delightfully. With a curious smile on her face, Penelope headed down the hall to their living room.

"What are you so happy about?" she asked, amused. But when she came into view of the door, Penelope saw exactly what had Damaris so happy. Her mouth dropped when she laid her eyes on Damaris hugging her father tightly.

"Dad!" Damaris said happily. "What are you doing here? I thought you were busy."

Derek grinned, shutting the door behind him and setting his duffel bag down on the ground. "Well, I thought I'd surprise you."

"You aren't too busy to come visit?" Damaris asked, excitedly jumping up and down.

Penelope crossed her arms over her chest, arching a brow at Derek. "Yes, I thought you were too busy," she said.

Derek's eyes flitted to Penelope's, and a warm happiness that only came when she saw her daughter was this happy and when Derek smiled at her. He planted a kiss on the top of her daughter's head before answering Penelope.

"Oh, that was just a little white lie I told the two of you," Derek said. He chuckled, his deep voice filling the room. "I wasn't too busy to visit. I was surprising you."

Penelope went forward to give him a hug. The musky aroma of his worn leather jacket and a scent that was uniquely Derek filled her nose. She smiled. "And what exactly are you doing here to surprise us?" she asked. "Is it just a random visit?"

"Nope," Derek said. "Nothing random about it, Baby Girl."

Damaris tugged on his arm. "So if it's not random, what are you doing here?"

Derek turned to his daughter and gave her a shoulder squeeze. Penelope waited intently for his answer. Was this another one of his practical jokes that he was pulling on them? She wouldn't put it past him, but she thought there was a good chance at his sincerity.

He was always sincere with regard to Damaris.

"I'm moving here, Baby Doll," he said. Stunned, both Damaris and Penelope stared at Derek. His eyes flicked between the two of them. Laughing, he added, "Is that a problem?"

Without another moment's hesitation though, Damaris' eyes brightened, and she threw her arms around Derek's neck. "Oh my God!" she cried. "For real? Is this really happening?"

Derek hugged her tightly. "Really real, Dee," he said, kissing her cheek. "I'm here to stay. You're not gonna be able to get rid of me ever again."

Damaris shook her head, still grinning brightly. Pure joy was written all across her face. "I don't care," she said. "You can stick around all you want."

Penelope stood silent and still. She still hadn't found words for Derek's announcement. It had been twelve years since she had lived in the same place as him. Something stirred in her, an old and familiar comfort that came from being around Derek. Shaking her head, she scolded herself.

 _I'll chalk this up to nostalgia,_ she thought.

"You alright with that, Baby Gi – " Derek began to ask. Upon seeing her expression at his nickname of her, he smiled and fixed his answer. "Sorry. _Penelope._ " He grinned. "You good with me moving here?"

Giving him a slow smile, she shrugged. "I guess I'll have to be," she said. "But…how are you moving here? What about your…" Her voice trailed off as realization dawned upon her. "You're the new BAU agent. Aren't you?"

Holding up his hands in surrender, he said, "Guilty as charged. Can't believe you didn't know about it."

"No one did," she said. "Hotch kept it secret pretty well."

Derek chuckled. " _Hotch_?"

"Your new boss," she explained. "We all call him that. Get used to it."

Damaris nodded vigorously. "Uncle Hotch is great," she said. "You're gonna like him."

Penelope couldn't quite read Derek's face, but something flashed across it when Damaris called Hotch 'Uncle.' Cocking her head to the side, she told him without words there would be a conversation coming soon between the two of them.

"So where are you staying, Dad?" Damaris asked, still unable to lose the smile from her face. "You've only got one bag." She pulled him into the kitchen to sit down at the table before taking out glasses for them and water.

Derek gratefully accepted. Taking a sip, he said, "Well, I don't move into my apartment until tomorrow and my stuff isn't arriving until next weekend, so I was going to go find a hotel around the – "

"No, no!" Damaris cried happily. "You can stay on the couch. I'll bring some sheets out and everything!" She looked hopefully at her mother. "Can he stay, Mom? Please?"

Penelope stood leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen. She looked into Damaris' desperate eyes. Her daughter's desire to have some connection to her soon to be ever-present father shined back at her. Waves of emotion flooded over Penelope. She remembered the look of sadness when Damaris went to school at not being able to see her father for even a visit. Penelope didn't even want to imagine what her child would look like if she sent Derek to a hotel rather than welcome him into their home.

Heaving a sigh, Penelope nodded.

"Alright," she said. "I guess I can't throw a homeless vagabond out on the streets." She cleared her throat and shifted her weight to her other leg.

With a delighted squeal, Damaris leapt to her feet and ran to hug Penelope. She kissed her mother's cheek. "Thanks, Mom!" she said. "I'll go get sheets for you, Dad!" She bounded off out the kitchen, a pleased spring in her step, to get sheets.

Derek looked over at Penelope, rising to his feet as well. He tried hiding a smile, but he clearly couldn't help it. She fixed him with an annoyed glare, not finding anything amusing about this moment at all.

"Why're you looking so pissed at me, Baby Girl?" he asked. "I thought you would be happy to see me."

"Not unannounced like this!" she said, incredulous to his nonchalant attitude. "You didn't give me any warning at all!"

Derek shrugged. "I didn't give you any warning because I knew you'd let me stay." Leaning down, he planted a swift kiss on her cheek. "Good to see you, Penelope." Then he was gone, walking over to the couch to help their daughter put the sheets down.

Penelope turned to watch them, but the whole time she did, a feeling of uneasy confusion spread through her.


	4. Derek's First Day

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hey, all! Sorry it has taken me so long to update anything. I've just started my senior year of college, so it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I really, really appreciate all of you being so patient with me!**

Penelope strode into the BAU in a huff. Derek had asked if he could take Damaris to school, and Penelope was happy to oblige him if it meant she could have a chance to corner Hotch. JJ and Lewis smiled up at her as she strode past their desks, but she paid them no mind. She was too angry.

Without bothering to knock, she burst into Hotch's office. He didn't even appear stunned, just arched an eyebrow at her.

"Sir, I know that you are my boss, but I really do _not_ appreciate being lied to!" she snapped, setting her bag down in the chair facing him. She put both hands on her hips and glared at him. "How could you not tell me Derek was the new agent? I needed time to prepare for this. To prepare my _daughter_ for it! What on earth were you thinking?"

Pausing for a few moments, she stopped to catch her breath. Hotch merely blinked at her. "Are you done, Garcia?" he asked.

"I shouldn't be," she snapped, "but I am for now." She waited expectantly for an answer, still fuming angry, but wanting answers.

Rising from behind his desk, Hotch crossed his arms over his chest. "Garcia, I didn't tell you because I didn't want this being a distraction while we worked. I need you at your best at all times. The only way I could ensure that was if you didn't know he was the new agent."

She rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Hotch," she said. It was uncharacteristic of her to use his name, but right now the irritation was too great to ignore. "Why did you approve this? There are plenty of qualified agents out there."

 _None more qualified than Derek, though…_ she thought to herself.

"Penelope," Hotch said, also using her first name. "I don't understand the problem. You've always appeared to be on good, I would say excellent, terms with him. And I figured you would be fine with Damaris being able to see her father more often." He arched a brow, waiting for her reply in the negative that would never come. It was useless to try lying to a profiler, especially one as skilled as Hotch. He knew she wasn't as adamantly opposed to Derek being there as she tried to make it seem.

"Was I wrong?" he asked.

With a heavy sigh, she rubbed her forehead. "No," she said in a small voice. "I have a great relationship with Derek. I just…I just wish I'd known so I could have gotten Damaris ready for it. Now that he's here, he can't leave. She'll be heartbroken if he has to be transferred again. I _won't_ let that happen."

Hotch let loose a rare smile. "I'm sure you won't," he said. Gesturing for the door, he added, "I'll be meeting him here. Why don't you go get a cup of coffee while we wait for him to get here? Then we can introduce him to the rest of the team.

XXXXX

"Mom's happy you're here," Damaris said as she and Derek walked down the street towards her high school. She glanced at her father and smiled.

Derek met Damaris' glance and laughed. He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Yeah," he said. "I know."

"She's just a little surprised, that's all," Damaris said.

Derek knew she was right. Penelope was always happy to see him, as he was her. They would always be best friends, forever connected by the fact they shared a child who they'd had at such a young age. However, his baby mama liked being in the loop on things, and a surprise like this was not something she enjoyed. Setting up surprises, sure; being on the receiving end was not her favorite thing.

"Nah, I know," he said. "It's just going to take some adjusting for her I think." He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You know your mama and I are always gonna be okay, right? We may not be together, but I think that's probably why we've done so well with you."

Shrugging her shoulders, Damaris said, "Maybe. I guess we won't really know, though."

As he laughed, they arrived at Damaris' school. Other students mingled around, waiting for the day to begin. Damaris stopped and gave Derek a tight hug. "I'm glad you're here, Dad," she said. Holding out her hand for a fist bump, she nodded and grinned. "Dinner tonight at your new place?"

He grinned right back. "Absolutely."

Then his daughter was gone, heading inside and leaving him alone on the sidewalk. Sighing, Derek turned to head back to Penelope's apartment building where he could retrieve his car and head to Quantico to begin his first day of profiling with the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

XXXXX

"Agent Morgan, pleasure to meet you," Agent Aaron Hotchner greeted as Derek was led into his office. "Anderson, thank you for bringing him to my office."

Anderson, the mousy agent who had escorted Derek from the bullpen to the boss' office nodded. "Of course," he said. Smiling awkwardly, he added, "Glad to have you aboard, Agent Morgan. We've heard a lot about you from Penelope."

Derek shot Anderson a friendly grin. "All good I hope." He shot a glance at Hotch, too. He hoped his new boss didn't have any preconceived notions of him as nothing more than a goofball who had knocked Penelope up. She may have had great affection for him and their friendship, but that didn't change that she still thought he was the same kid he'd been in high school.

"More or less," Penelope said. Her voice came from behind Anderson, and she slithered by to enter. Giving a wry smile to Derek, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "But instead of gossiping about what I've told my team about you, I say we get on with the meeting and getting acquainted with the rest of the team. Sound good?"

Hotch nodded in assent. "Just what I was thinking," he said. "If you'll follow Garcia and I this way, we'll take you to the round table room. It's where we have all our briefings before cases."

Penelope and Derek hung back as Hotch started for the round table room. "How'd she get off to school?" she asked, her tone all business with him. She was clearly still pissed about being surprised with his announcement.

"Great," Derek said. Before they got to the door, though, he touched her arm. "Hey, hey." Her sharp look took him back slightly, but he wanted to get through to her briefly. "What's going on?"

She sighed heavily. "What?" she asked. "We have a meeting to get to."

"I just want to know what you're so bent out of shape about," he said.

Penelope didn't say a word; she just blinked at him. He had a hard time trying to read her face; it was blank. What was going on in her head that caused her to look at him as if they were strangers? He knew what the problem was: it was exactly what Damaris had said. She was still surprised that he'd shown up. But he couldn't figure out where that happiness his daughter saw was. Penelope just seemed…annoyed with his presence.

He searched her eyes still, but found nothing. "Derek, we have to get in there to meet the rest of the team," she said finally.

XXXXX

 _Later That Evening_

Derek looked around his office after spending the majority of his day getting himself familiarized with the BAU. The agents he'd met this morning seemed to already have an idea of who he was, particularly Agent Jareau. The knowing gleam in her eyes when they'd met alerted Derek immediately to the fact Penelope had spilled all about how their lives had been entangled since childhood.

As he finished up reading yet another file of one of the BAU's most notorious killers, the Boston Reaper, his eyes found the photo of his daughter. He smiled, thinking of how in a mere few moments he would be free to leave and get dinner with her. Rising from his desk, he started packing his briefcase.

"Headed home?" a voice asked from the door.

Derek looked up to find none other than David Rossi standing in his office's doorway. Flashing the older agent a grin, Derek gave him a wave. "Yup," he said. "My daughter is supposed to be coming over for dinner at my new apartment."

Rossi nodded. "Damaris is a sweet girl," he said. "She talks about you an awful lot."

"I'm glad I live out here now so I can be closer to her," Derek said. He met Rossi at the doorway before closing the door behind them. "After her mom and I split up and they moved, it was hard to be able to see her."

"But now you've remedied that," Rossi noted as they strode toward the elevators. "I'm sure Hotch told you about all the traveling we do, though."

Derek shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm still getting to spend more time with her now than I would be living in Chicago."

Rossi clapped him on the back. "Well, I'm glad you're here, too," he said. "It'll be nice to see Garcia smile a bit more." He shot Derek a charming wink, one Derek was sure made ladies of all ages swoon when they saw it.

"What's going to make me smile?"

Both men turned to find Penelope coming towards them, her bag slung over her shoulder. She cocked her head to the side to observe them both. Derek grinned at her, recalling what Rossi had just said about him making Penelope smile. Right now she looked like she wanted to smile, but was holding it back.

"The fact you and Damaris are coming to my place for dinner," he improvised. True, he and his daughter hadn't discussed Penelope being there, but he was on a mission.

Penelope arched a perfect brow. "Oh?" She put one hand on her hip. "What makes you say that?"

"Damaris and I planned it when I dropped her off at school," he said. "We thought it'd be fun. We didn't plan on what we'd make, but if there's a woman who can take care of – "

Silencing him with a look, Penelope turned to Rossi and sighed. "Rossi, we'll see you later," she said, not making a move to go anywhere. She was clearly dismissing him.

Rossi, understanding exactly how Penelope operated, took the hint and waved to them. "I'll see you later, the both of you," he said, retreating from where they stood.

When they stood alone, Penelope narrowed her eyes and fixed Derek with a look that made him hesitate. "What is it now?" he asked. He tweaked her nose, feeling downtrodden when she flinched backward. "Baby Girl, I know I surprised you by coming here like this, but you've been acting weird all day around me. What's going on?"

"Derek, the flirting, the surprise, the attempt at taking me to lunch and calling me your baby mama in front of our _boss_ …it's all a bit much," she said. "We're working. You can't act like a kid here. It's serious."

Rolling his eyes, Derek pulled his hand back. A flash of irritation coursed through him, even though he could see she was conflicted with her words. He knew her. Flirting like this, even with the platonic state of their relationship, was part of who they were together. There was clearly something more at play here. "Penelope, I know I've always been a bit, well, lax in my professionalism and maturity around you, but I got to where I am today because I'm good at my job. If I pulled practical jokes all the time or acted like a player at work who used the FBI to pick up women, I wouldn't have this job." He rubbed his forehead. "I'm here to be the best agent I can be and the best father I can be. I want a more permanent place in her life."

Penelope stared at him for a moment, blinking as she bit her lower lip. He searched her face for any emotion in the wake of his declaration. Then her lips quirked into a smile. She saw the sincerity and he knew she believed him.

"Okay," she said quietly. "I believe you."

If life could continue on like this, with the same feeling of happiness he had right now at the sound of her faith in him, he would have enough sustenance to make it through life without even air to breathe. With a wide smile filled with joy, Derek offered his arm to Penelope and punched elevator button.

"Shall we?" he asked.

She linked her arm through his. "We shall," she said.


	5. An Idea Starts to Form

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hey, guys! I am so, so sorry it has taken me so long to post. It's been crazy with my semester so far, and in addition to my classes I'm in charge of my school's paper AND working. It's a lot, but I find myself daydreaming about my fics, so I'm still thinking about Morcia lol. Hope you haven't given up on me and my stories just yet :)**

"Damaris, I just don't get this," JJ's daughter, Rosalyn, said. She threw her pencil down in exasperation and placed her forehead on the table.

Damaris' lips quirked into a smile at the eight year old girl's histrionics. Tutoring JJ's youngest child in math was hardly the easiest thing in her life, but with Derek back in town for the past few weeks, she found herself less irritated by the girl's antics.

"Roz, I think if you just _focus_ a little bit, you'll get it just fine," Damaris said, only half paying attention to what Rosalyn was complaining about.

"These problems are harder than the ones from last week, though!" Rosalyn whined.

"I hope you're not giving Damaris a hard time in here," JJ said, entering the kitchen and ruffling her daughter's hair. "She's doing you a favor by helping you with this."

Rosalyn grinned up at her mother. "I know she is, Mom," she said.

JJ pointed toward the stairs. "Go find your brother and tell him I want you two to clean up for dinner," she said. "Your dad is bringing pizza home for us."

Damaris watched as Rosalyn bounded away, excited her mother had released her from the prison of homework. JJ looked at Damaris and smiled, sitting down at the table beside her. "I appreciate you putting up with my wild child," she said with a sympathetic laugh in her voice.

"Not a problem, Aunt JJ," Damaris said with a grin highly reminiscent of Derek's.

JJ observed her carefully for a long moment. "How're things going with your dad around?" she asked, the question coming out of the blue.

Blinking several times, Damaris averted her eyes. She was thrilled to have Derek around; when he wasn't away on cases with the rest of the BAU team they spent as much time as possible together. The question coming so bluntly from JJ just caught her off guard, mostly because she knew what was likely to follow after she answered the question.

"It's going great," she said. "I love having him here. I've always wanted it to be this way." She smiled. "It's different, that's for sure. But basically I get hang out time with him anytime I want when they're at home."

Then came the real question JJ wanted to ask.

"And what about your Mom?" she asked. "How's _she_ handling it?"

Damaris chuckled. Of course JJ wanted to know about Penelope's reaction. Since Derek's arrival several weeks prior, Penelope had been on edge. Damaris knew Tara and JJ had been teasing her mother about the "baby daddy" being back in the picture, but she could also tell that Penelope loved it. Though they were not together any longer, Derek and Penelope were still the best of friends. There was no way she wouldn't be pleased.

"You see her at work, wouldn't she tell you?" Damaris asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. She watched JJ's face for any sign of what might have been going on while her mother was at work.

JJ's lips quirked into a small smile. "Well, she certainly hates it when Tara and I make fun of her for it," she said. She winked.

A wicked grin lit up Damaris' face. "I kinda wish I didn't have school so I could see that," she said, imagining the expression on her mother's face at the jests JJ and Tara shot Penelope's way. Shrugging, she added, "I don't know, she's just acting weird about it. I wish she and my dad would actually spend time together. They didn't get to see each other for a long time, but now that they live in the same place they're not making any effort." She huffed.

"What do you mean?" JJ asked, cocking her head to the side. She didn't seem confused, just curious.

Damaris rubbed her forehead, frustrated. "They're best friends and they aren't acting like it." She couldn't keep the irritation out of her voice. She couldn't deny she'd dreamed of her parents getting together all her life. But even with the impossibility of that ever happening, she still hoped she could get them to spend time together.

JJ gave Damaris a sympathetic look. "I know you want that, sweetie," she said. "If there's one thing I know about your mom, it's that she cares deeply for your dad. But she doesn't like surprises, and he's always been a sensitive topic for her. She told a us a few things about him, but nothing super specific."

"She must have told you about all the girlfriends," Damaris said, her lips quirking into a smirk. "She complains about that."

"I mean, based on what I've heard from her, he _has_ had a lot of relationships since your mom and he broke up," JJ admitted.

All Damaris could do was shrug. "She also says he has never really grown up," she said. "He does have a lot of fun, but I don't think he's really that much of a kid like she says. At least, he's never seemed that way to me."

"Your dad is a touchy subject for your mom," JJ went on. "She wants that relationship where they can be best of friends, but she's also worried about what it could mean if she _does_ get that close to him."

Frowning, Damaris cocked her head to the side. She chewed on her lip, trying to understand what JJ meant. But she didn't bother asking. Her mind shot away from the conversation at hand. She retreated into the recesses of her own mind. She loved both her parents with a fierce passion, and she treasured the relationships she had with each of them.

Sometimes separate wasn't what she wanted, though. She wanted her parents together, that much she could admit to herself. Biting on the tip of her thumbnail, she let her mind drift to what could be if Penelope and Derek were to reunite. The sight, even if only one she imagined, was one that filled her heart with joy.

"You in there?" JJ asked, waving her hand in front of Damaris' face.

With a small, yet confident smile, Damaris nodded. A plot had taken seed in her head and was now growing rapidly in her mind. "Yup," she said. "All good."


	6. Memory Lane

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hello, all! Long time no see. My semester ended last week, and it was HORRIBLE between academics, running a newspaper, and losing a family member. I'm hopefully going to be able to catch up on my stories that need to be finished now that I have a bit of a break, though.**

 **I'm super excited to get back to writing Morcia, and I hope you'll be here with me while I get the chapters done :)**

 _6 Months Later_

"We've got about a four hour flight," Derek told Damaris as the BAU team boarded the jet to head home.

"Wanna grab breakfast tomorrow morning?" his daughter asked.

Derek arched a brow. "Are you forgetting you've got school in the mornings?"

He could practically feel the eye roll from Damaris as she snorted. "Are you forgetting what day of the week it is?"

Frowning, Derek thought about it for a moment, realizing tomorrow was going to be Saturday. "My bad, Baby Doll," he said. "Yeah, breakfast sounds great."

"Awesome! I'll tell Mom."

Derek cleared his throat, and his thoughts shot to Penelope. Being best friends with the mother of his child brought with it a lasting connection they would never lose. It also presented challenges he had never encountered with her. Things like curfews and making sure Damaris actually did her homework and didn't procrastinate were hastily becoming evident to him.

"I know you want to be the _fun_ parent, but our daughter still needs to get her shit done," Penelope had told him one day after he dropped Damaris off on a school night where they spent the afternoon running around DC acting like hooligans.

"Dad?" Damaris asked. "Dad, you there?"

"Yeah, Baby," he murmured. "Just was, uh, listening to something Reid was telling me."

At the mention of his name, Reid looked up from his book and frowned.

"Huh?" he asked. "I didn't tell you anything."

Making a shushing motion at Reid, Derek added to his daughter, "We're about to take off, Damaris. I'll call you tomorrow when I'm on my way to pick you up for breakfast."

"Okiedokie, Dad," she chirped. "I'll see to you tomorrow!"

With a smile, Derek hung up his phone and put it on the table in front of him. He felt the eyes of his teammates on him and looked up. Rossi and Reid stared at him, Reid's eyes filled with confusion, Rossi's with amusement.

"What?" Derek demanded.

Rossi spoke first. "I take it your daughter brought up something about your _Baby Mama_?" He used the nickname Derek used as rarely as possible now; Penelope continued to insist he wasn't allowed to call her that anymore.

Derek fought the urge to grind his jaw. He kept his face blank as possible, all the while resisting the temptation. He probably should've guessed a team of profilers was going to guess the reason for his change in attitude. Befriending them had not helped anything.

"That _my_ name for her, Rossi," he shot back, ignoring the part about Damaris bringing up Penelope.

"Did you start calling her that in high school?" Reid cut in.

Throwing a glance at Reid, Derek grinned. "Of course," he said. "How do you think it managed to stick around all this time?"

"If he'd tried to come up with that while they were adults, I'm pretty sure Garcia would have put every nail she could have in that coffin," JJ murmured from the couch. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were quirked in a smile as she eavesdropped on the conversation.

Derek pointed at JJ and nodded. "Exactly."

"What was she like when you guys were younger?" Reid asked.

Looking down at his hands, Derek allowed the Super 8 of memories to spin behind his eyes. He chuckled. "She was always this way. She was funny and committed and smart. None of that is different." He paused for a long moment. A flash of a teenage Penelope shot through his mind, the two of them running through the streets of their hometown and telling secrets and jokes they knew no one else was going to understand.

Before he knew the words would come tumbling out of his mouth, he said, "She has always been sure of herself, too. If she comes to a decision, she's going to stick with it."

 _Just like she came to the decision to cut you out of raising your daughter,_ he thought to himself.

Rossi chuckled. He leaned forward so his elbows rested on the table. "Young man, I can always tell when someone is avoiding a subject. You're doing that right now." He scrutinized Derek's silent face even closer. "You still carrying a torch for her?"

Careful not to answer to quickly, Derek kept his tone even when he answered. "Really?" he asked, arching a brow. "That's what you think this is?" He sighed. "Look, I'm always going to love Penelope. She and I had Damaris and we're still friends. But that's _it_. It's one helluva platonic relationship."

Rossi chuckled. "Right," he said, leaning back in his seat.

Derek did the same, narrowing his eyes at the older profiler. Closing his eyes, he put his headphones over his head, hoping to fall into a blissful, memory-filled sleep.

XXXXX

" _Do you think there's any chance we're gonna get out of here?" Penelope asked, leaning her head against Derek's shoulder._

 _Derek looked out over the train tracks in their Chicago suburb. Gray clouds floated above them, threatening the first snow. The air felt bitter cold around them, but the heat of their bodies kept them warm enough that they didn't mind. How he felt about her was enough to make his belly feel warm enough to last for a thousand life times._

" _What do you mean?" he asked. "You don't like it here?" He already knew the answer to that question._

" _You know, to somewhere...different," she said, ignoring his nonchalant tone._

 _Penelope had always wanted to see more of the world. Since they were kids in grade school, she would stare at books in the library of farway places that they could only dream of. Spain, India, Morocco…they were all on a list in one of her notebooks._

" _Somewhere different is never going anywhere, Baby Girl," he assured her. "You're going to get to see those places. You're hard headed enough that you're gonna get outta this hell hole."_

 _She smiled, snuggling closer into him. "I'm glad you believe in me, Derek," she said._

 _Tilting her chin so he could look her in the eye, he smiled. "No one's going to believe in you more than me, Baby Girl," he said._

 _Penelope grinned. The first snowflakes of the season start to trickle down from the sky and landed in her hair. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his for the very first time. Shocked, he didn't respond at first. All he could focus on was the heat of her lips._

" _Why are your eyes so closed?" she giggled._

 _Opening his eyes, Derek blinked at her. He hadn't even realized she was no longer kissing him. Penelope's cheeks were pink, her eyes glowing behind the snow that started to fall heavier. She smiled._

" _I just…didn't want that to end," he said, pulling her closer to recapture her lips._


	7. A Drogo Lookalike

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Here's the new chapter of this story! I threw a reference to** _ **Game of Thrones**_ **in there for a good buddy of mine, so hope you like it :)**

Penelope approached the door to Derek's apartment, a light smile on her face. Her date with a man she'd met at her usual morning coffee shop, Jack, had gone incredibly well. He was incredibly sweet, funny, and looked like a carbon copy of Jason Mamoa. She'd dated casually in the time since having Damaris, but given the fact her daughter was two years from graduating high school, she thought she might be able to get serious someone. Jack was certainly a candidate for that potential serious relationship. With such a night behind her, Penelope couldn't stop smiling.

Rapping softly on the door, Penelope waited patiently. When she got no response, she knocked louder. Behind the thick door, she thought she heard

"It's open, Penelope!" Derek shouted from the other side of the door.

Her lips quirked into a smile. Opening the door, she pushed her way into the apartment. She went through the foyer into the living room where her daughter and Derek were laughing uproariously at an Abbott and Costello movie on the television.

"Feeling nostalgic are we, Derek?" she asked, patting his shoulder before leaning down to kiss Damaris on the top of her head.

Derek picked up the remote and paused the movie. "Well, I found out you've never shown our daughter any of Lou and Bud, so I thought I'd fix that," he said. When he finally looked up at her, his eyebrows shot upwards. She blushed ever so slightly. She had not mentioned to Derek why she was going to be so late in fetching their daughter, and he must have thought she was over dressed.

Penelope had no chance to say anything before Damaris spoke rapidly. "Mom! How'd the _date_ go?" she asked, grinning.

 _Welp, guess he knows now_ , Penelope thought.

Moving a tendril of Damaris' hair out of her eyes, Penelope looked away from Derek and smiled. "It went really well, Baby," she said.

Damaris grinned. She rose to her feet and pointed toward the kitchen. "I'm going to go grab my bag and use the bathroom, then we can get going."

As Damaris bounded off to the restroom, Penelope looked toward Derek once again. She smiled. With his eyebrows still raised up high on his forehead, Derek blinked. For a moment she was almost reminded of when she revealed she was pregnant.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said with a shake of his head. "Just wondering why you didn't tell me about your date."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, I didn't really think it was that big of a deal," she said.

Derek rose from the couch and cleared his throat. "Did you have a good time? He treat you well?"

"Aww, that's sweet of you," Penelope smiling softly.

"What's sweet?" he asked. Either he had become a better actor since high school or he really was oblivious to what she meant.

Penelope laughed. "You know, being concerned with whether or not this guy is treating me well. It's nice of you."

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Derek tilted his head to the side. "Well, you are the mother of my daughter," he said, winking. "I gotta have you around if I'm gonna learn how to be a responsible parent."

A slow warmth spread through her belly, making it impossible for her to suppress a smile. Derek would always be there to protect her, no matter what. No one would believe in her more than him, either.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I really don't think there's anything to worry about," she said. "I really like him. I met him at my coffee place, and we ordered the same thing. And before you start in on me that it was just him ordering the same thing as me to get a date with me – 'cause I see that look you're giving me – I already know that. He's a Drogo lookalike, and I was glad he asked me out."

Derek's eyebrows rose even higher on his forehead. "A _what_ lookalike?"

"What, you've never seen _Game of Thrones_?" she asked, incredulous.

"Baby Girl, you know the shit I watch," he said, jerking his thumb toward the black and white film on the screen.

She laughed. "True," she said. "You may look like a sexy macho bottle of testosterone, but you're really an old soul at heart."

He grinned sheepishly at her, but before he could reply Damaris came bounding out of her room and back towards the living room. She hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders. "Got my stuff," she said. "You gonna tell me all about the date on the way back?"

"Of course!" Penelope said, placing her hand on Damaris' shoulder to lead her toward the door.

Following after them to open the door, Derek snickered and said, "Yeah, apparently he's a Drogo lookalike."

Shooting him a dirty look, Penelope stuck her tongue out. "Don't give away the best parts of the story, you tattle tale."

Damaris' mouth dropped. "Oh my god, shut up!" she cried, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Your date looks like Khal Drogo?" Before anyone could answer, her head whirled to face her father again. " _You_ know what _Game of Thrones_ is, Dad?"

Kissing Damaris on the head, Derek shook his head. "No, I'm just trying to keep up with references you kids today are using."

"Well, next movie night we have, I'm bringing my DVDs of it over and we're gonna binge watch it," Damaris laughed, wrapping her arms around Derek for a tight hug. "You're gonna love it." She dashed off down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

Both Penelope and Derek watched her run off, perplexed. "We've got a strange kid," he chuckled.

"That we do. Strange, but loveable." Penelope touched Derek's shoulder and smiled. "Quick heads up, we've got a case tomorrow," she said. "Looks like a bad one, so you'll be out the door pretty quick."

He nodded. "See you in the morning."

When she met his gaze one last time before walking down the hall, a small spark lit in her. Derek always hid his emotions, but right now even his stony face couldn't hide the small light of doubt in his eyes. With as well as she knew him, she couldn't read that expression. Maybe it was that small sense of codependency she felt towards him, her closeness to him, that made it impossible for her to think rationally.

But she had seen this look once before: when she told him she was leaving him when she was eighteen. It haunted her to this day to the point where she sometimes saw it when she closed her eyes at the most random moments. Even after all these years, she could never decipher what it was.

Here it was again though, confronting her head on. At thirty, she still had no idea what to make of it.

"Yup," she said. "Morning."


	8. Birthday Plans

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Thanks all for the reviews! Little bit more of a road bump for these two in this chapter, but I'm pretty sure the next chapter will make up for this ;)**

"So how's _Drogo_ doing?" Derek joked to Penelope one afternoon as they were sitting down for lunch at a café just down the road from Quantico.

Penelope shot him a look that was just as teasing. That smile made Derek grin, despite his feelings about the man she was seeing. Jack and Penelope had been together for a little less than two months, and the one time Derek had seen a picture of the man he'd been legitimately shocked at how tall Jack was and the fact he had muscles that rivaled even Derek's. After Damaris made them start watching _Game of Thrones_ together, he'd begrudgingly admitted that Jack did indeed look like Drogo.

Since, he'd made sure to tease Penelope mercilessly.

"He's fine, thank you very much," Penelope said, swatting at his arm. "He's going to be out of town for the next week or so. I'm hoping this doesn't make us fizzle out, but I guess we'll see when he gets back." She gave a little shrug, but didn't lose the titillation and excitement.

They found a seat, awaiting the arrival of the waitress to take their orders. Derek watched Penelope carefully as she took her coat off. A soft pink glow lit up her cheeks as a smile graced her lips. When she looked back up at him, there was a sparkle twinkling back at him. She was happy.

"You really like him." It wasn't a question.

Penelope sat down and grinned. "Yes," she said. "I do."

Leaning forward, Derek tweaked her nose and nodded. "Good. He better treat you right," he said, winking.

"He does," Penelope said, looking down into her menu without bothering to glance at Derek again. He watched her for another second, happy that she was happy, then turned his attention to the menu as well.

The waitress came by with waters and to take their orders, and almost as soon as she was gone, Penelope folded her hands in front of her.

"Okay, so we need to talk about Damaris' birthday next week," she said, taking on a business-like tone. "I wanted to talk to you about what the present idea you'd had earlier."

Derek grinned widely. "The puppy? Yeah, I'm still doing that."

Penelope nodded. "Good. And you'll bring him or her – "

"Her," Derek clarified.

"Okay, her," she went on. "You'll bring her over on the day of or are you going to give her to Damaris when she goes over to your place?"

Swallowing a gulp of water, Derek arched a brow in surprise. "Wait, what? We're not doing something together? The three of us together."

Penelope seemed legitimately surprised by his question. "What?" she asked, her eyes going wide.

"Well, I just thought that we were all doing something together," he said. "I was thinking I could cook for you guys. Damaris said she didn't care about doing anything with her friends and that she just wanted to do things with us, so I assumed she meant together."

Averting her eyes, Penelope said, "Well, it's just we haven't done a birthday for her together since she was two. I think maybe we don't need to jump into anything too different just yet. It might be a bit much."

There was something behind her eyes; it almost looked like fear. That fear hurt. He sat up straighter, unsure of what he was going to say next. Hadn't the past months – close to a year now – reinstated their friendship? Was she not comfortable with where they now found themselves?

"I don't get it," he said. His voice came out blunted, wooden. "What's the problem? Do you not want me to cook for you guys? I promise I'm a bit better than I was when I was younger." He tried smiling, but it fell flat. She clearly wasn't in the mood for joking, unlike earlier.

Shifting in her seat, she bit her pink-stained lip. "Derek, it's just…it's been me and Damaris since she was a baby. I just don't – "

He shook his head, interrupting. "Are you trying to tell me that you want her all to yourself?" he demanded. "It seems a lot more like you're uncomfortable with me."

Her eyes flashed, clearly showing he struck a nerve. "You're still getting to celebrate with her," she shot back, squaring her shoulders. "Why does it matter if I'm there or not?"

"I thought we were getting back to having a good enough relationship that we could spend time together with our daughter," he said, growing angry. "Does _Jack_ have a problem with us spending time together? Is that why you're saying this?"

Penelope scoffed. "Please, Derek," she said. "If Jack was the one who had a problem with it I'd be rolling my eyes and telling him I'm making my own decisions. No, I'm doing this because I have spent the past fourteen of Damaris' birthdays with just the two of us and am not sure I want to change that just yet."

"Why can't we change it?" he asked.

She waved a ring-covered hand in front of her. "Because I'm the one who took the responsibility and raised her, and this is how I want to do it."

Despite his deep love for his child, he couldn't deny that when they'd been younger that Penelope raising Damaris had been easier for him to advance his career. But he was now an adult and present.

"You've got to be kidding me," he snapped. "Is this all about you being pissed at me because you think I'm still a kid who doesn't have any responsibilities? Well I've got news for you, Penelope, you need to loosen up. I shouldn't have to defend this to you, but I'm a god damn adult. I'm well aware that you raised Damaris without me so that I could get my career, and I will never stop being grateful for that. But enough of this bullshit."

Penelope glared at him. "Sometimes I wonder," she stated simply.

Rising from the table, Derek shook his head. "You know what? I'm going to head back," he snarled. "I've lost my appetite."

He was unsurprised when she said nothing in an attempt to follow him. Fuming, he marched into the chilly air outside of the restaurant. As he made his way back to his car, he felt the overwhelming need to punch something. Was that all he was to Penelope? A kid?

Of course he was still a kid to her. Since she'd left all those years ago, he'd never made a show that he was interested in being as present in Damaris' life as he was now. Sure, he sent extravagant gifts just because he felt like it, he took every Skype call he could, and any vacation time he had he spent all that time with Damaris. But he had sacrificed a full position in her life in order to pursue his career.

Despite the past months, Penelope had every reason to be concerned.

 _What the fuck do I have to do to prove to her I can be the best father I can be?_ he thought angrily. But his anger wasn't directed just at Penelope; it was also directed at himself for the choices he made.

No answer to his question came from within him to give him solace, so he resolved to go back to the BAU and find a punching bag to pour his frustrations onto.

XXXXX

Penelope held the door open for Tara as they left the BAU for the day, both of them making small talk about weekend plans. Since the argument at the café with Derek, Penelope had been in a foul mood. They'd ignored one another the entire day, and if they did happen to end up in the same room, they made no eye contact whatsoever.

She thought she'd be able to escape explaining what had happened to any of her friends. As soon as the elevator doors closed though, Tara pounced on the issue.

"Alright you, spit it out," she said, swatting Penelope's shoulder. "What's going on with you and Morgan? You've been shooting each other death glares when you think no one is looking."

Narrowing her eyes at Tara, Penelope sighed. She leaned against the wall of the elevator, exasperated.

"Was I really doing that?" she asked. Tara nodded, trying to stifle a laugh.

 _How did you get into this mess_? she asked herself. She felt true fear that if she allowed Derek too much into her and Damaris' life that Derek would find another job that he felt would be better for him and utterly break both their hearts. Her anger from earlier in the day had come out in a way she hadn't wanted it to, but she was truly afraid of losing him again.

Damaris and she had lost him once to the ambitions he held.

"He wanted to cook for Damaris _and_ I for her birthday," she mumbled.

Tara blinked at her. "Umm…so?"

"I just…I just worry that I'm going to let him into our lives too much and he's going to move on in a month, a few months, a year and I'll be left with a broken-hearted sixteen year old who misses her dad and doesn't get to see him anymore," she said. "I don't want her to get too used to this because even though I know she's the most important person in the whole world to him, he also loves his job. It was wanting a job like this that made her lose him in the first place."

"Yeah, but she didn't lose him," Tara pointed out. "They're so much closer than any long distance parent I've ever seen." She gave Penelope a comforting smile. "Take it from a profiler: I don't think he's going anywhere. He's too happy here."

Tears filled Penelope's eyes as the memory of Derek's dreams when they were younger started to wash over her. When he saw Damaris for the first time when she'd been born, Penelope thought Derek would never want anything that would take him away from their daughter. But as time went by, he kept wanting more to the point he couldn't handle both being a father _and_ a lifesaver. That led to a choice, and one that had made Damaris lose her father's presence in her life.

"I thought he was happy a long time ago, too," she murmured.

Tara grimaced, clearly seeing there was something Penelope was not saying that was causing her pain. "You know," she began, "I think there's an easy solution to all of this."

Penelope huffed. "There's nothing easy about this."

Shrugging off the comment, Tara went on. "Just ask Damaris what she wants," she said. "It's her birthday, and she should get what she wants. So instead of you and Derek having a pissing match over who gets to spend time with your daughter, see what she says."

Blinking at her friend several times, Penelope finally smiled. "You're right," she said. "That really is easy."

"I have my moments," Tara joked as the elevator doors opened to the parking garage level. "But seriously, don't let that fear get in the way of him being in your life. You both are too important to one another to let something like this get in the way of that. He's here now. Enjoy it."

Penelope couldn't respond. Her voice was crushed by the weight of that fear, even as Tara tried reassuring her otherwise. All she did was force a smile and pray she could smooth things over with Derek before Damaris' birthday was upon them.


	9. An Unexpected Turn of Events

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hi, all! I am** ** _at last_** **updating my stories. Now that I've gotten my BA and graduated college, I'm working and should have more time to devote to writing without papers and school to worry about. I intend to keep writing Morgan/Garcia because they're still my OTP, even if I'm not watching** ** _Criminal Minds_** **since Shemar departed.**

 **I hope to continue my journey with Morcia with you guys :)**

"Why are you so nervous looking?" Damaris asked, glancing sideways at Penelope as they were pulling into the parking garage at Derek's apartment building. Her mother had been acting strangely all evening. If Damaris was being honest with herself though, Penelope had been acting strange since the conversation they'd had about how she wanted to spend her birthday.

Penelope bit her lip. Her knuckles whitened around the steering wheel. Her eyes danced with unsaid words she had been keeping back for days. Even as Damaris pressed her for a response, Penelope remained locked away in her own thoughts. It'd been happening more and more since Derek returned to their lives.

"Mom?" Damaris asked. She poked Penelope's arm with her index finger, trying to draw her attention back to the car. Rolling her eyes, Damaris crossed her arms over her chest. "Mom, I think I'm going to try meth next week. Some guy is selling it behind school."

Blinking several times, Penelope looked over at her in horror. "Wait, what?" she demanded. "There's a guy selling meth behind your school?"

"Yeah, his name is Ty," Damaris went on, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "He's pretty cool, actually. Not sure how he got into – "

"Young lady, so help me, I don't care if it's your birthday," Penelope snapped, "I'll ground your ass for so long you won't be leaving your room until you're thirty. And that's not even including what your father will do if – "

Damaris interrupted her mother this time. "Relax, woman," she said with a laugh. "There's not a guy selling meth behind my school, I just wanted to get your attention. You were lost over there, and I needed something to get you to pay attention to me again."

"Oh," Penelope said in a small voice. "Well…don't do that."

Snickering, Damaris crossed her legs and grinned. "What's going on?" she asked. "You've been acting super weird the last few days."

Penelope swallowed hard beside her. She answered in a choked voice. "Nothing," she said. "I've just been working a lot lately, you know that."

" _I_ think you're pissed off at Dad," Damaris said. She smirked triumphantly when her mother's eyes flashed, knowing she'd gotten it right. "You're mad that he wanted us all to spend my birthday together."

Penelope parked and turned off the ignition. "We've been fighting, but we're going to be fine. This is _your_ day, and we're not going to be arguing at all."

Damaris noted that her mother kept referring to herself and Derek as "we." There was an air of distaste in Penelope's voice when she said it. Opening her door, Damaris frowned. She didn't understand the concerns her mother had about them spending the time together with Derek. Her parents were best friends, and while her attempts to push them together weren't exactly working out the way she wanted them to, they shouldn't have been avoiding one another the way that they were.

"Whatever you say," she said skeptically.

Mother and daughter headed inside and up the stairs where they knocked on Derek's door. Damaris watched as Penelope knocked on the door, her lips pursed at first. When she caught Damaris observing her, Penelope dropped the grimace and smiled.

Before Damaris could say anything to call her out on it, the door swung open to reveal Derek. Atop his head sat a shiny red birthday hat. He looked utterly ridiculous, but happy. The smell of whatever Derek had in the works wafted out the door and reached her nose. Her stomach growled, more than ready to eat after having fasted for the day in preparation for what Derek had promised to be copious amounts of food.

"My two favorite ladies in the world!" Derek grinned widely, opening his arms to wrap her in a huge hug. Damaris hugged him back, thrilled with his enthusiasm. She moved out of the way and waited expectantly for Penelope to go in for a hug, too.

Derek grinned cheekily at Penelope, opening his arms for a hug and waiting for her to cave. Giving him a small smile, Penelope went in and wrapped her arms around Derek.

"I thought you might forgive me by now," Derek said, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Penelope smirked, teasing him. "That cue ball head of yours is too cute for me to stay mad at for very long."

Tweaking her nose, Derek turned back to his daughter. "Now, I have a – "

Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp bark sounded from the kitchen. Damaris' eyebrows shot upward. Looking between her parents, she said, "What was that?"

Both Derek and Penelope exchanged smiles. Nodding toward the kitchen, Derek motioned for Damaris to follow the noise.

"Go check it out," he urged her.

With a grin, Damaris bounded off with a skip in her step. A small squeal followed her disappearance. Penelope looked over at Derek, taking his hand to give it a squeeze. He blinked several times in shock. She hoped her hand could convey how sorry she was for the fight they'd had.

"Thanks for organizing this," she murmured over the cooing of their daughter from the kitchen.

He shot her a wry smile. "Glad you warmed up to it."

Penelope gave his hand another squeeze just as Damaris reappeared. In her arms she carried a small bundle of fluff. The puppy wriggled excitedly, licking Damaris' face with joy.

"Mom!" she cried. Her face was lit up like a string of fairy lights as she cuddled the dog to her chest. "Mom, check it out, Dad got me a Husky!" She brought the dog closer, holding her up for Penelope to see.

"Your mama helped me pick her out," Derek chimed in, as Penelope ruffled the dog's fur. He put a hand on Penelope's shoulder

Tears of joy filled Damaris' eyes. "Guys, thank you so much," she said, still holding her dog close to her chest. "I'm so freakin' happy right now it's not even funny." She grinned at both of them. "I'd hug you right now if I weren't holding her."

Derek tweaked her nose. "Don't worry, Baby Doll," he said. "We know. Got any name ideas for the pup?"

"We're gonna have to talk about that at dinner!" she chirped, kissing her dog's head. "I'm not even close to prepared with a list. So, so many options."

Penelope's lips quirked into a smile. "Something nerdy I'm sure."

Derek shot her a glance. "Gets that from her mama," he said with a wink. He clapped his hands together. "Let's eat! Hopefully it tastes as good as it smells."

Damaris nodded vigorously, turning to head back toward the kitchen. Derek followed after her, leaving Penelope to trail behind them. She watched both carefully, thinking over the interaction between the three of them. Everything about this moment – the dog, the cooking, the forgiveness he'd displayed to Penelope just now – made her question everything about Derek's presence. Why couldn't she feel this way all the time? Why couldn't she feel that he was serious? They were closer than two friends usually were, and she would always love him for being the father of her daughter.

What would it take for her to get out of her own way and truly trust him?

XXXXX

"She's completely passed out," Derek said, coming into the kitchen with an empty bowl of popcorn clutched in his hands.

Penelope looked up from washing dishes in the sink. She smiled, thinking of how Damaris had curled up with her puppy, now named Demona, on Derek's couch and fallen asleep.

"She needed it," Penelope murmured, setting the plate she had just finished washing on the drying rack beside the sink.

He set the popcorn bowl on the counter, nodding. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the counter, close enough to touch her cheek. He didn't, but his eyes told her he did. She smiled. He arched a brow at her, a lighthearted glint replacing his desire to touch her. "What?"

"Just…" She paused. She wondered how she could answer. Their evening together with Damaris felt as if they were a family, like they had never been apart. It had been a long time since she felt this much inner conflict. The confusion that tickled her as she and Damaris entered the apartment earlier returned, hitting her full force as a tsunami instead of caressing her with a gentle wave. "This was a really nice evening."

He grinned, his perfect teeth blinding her. "Anything to keep my little girl happy," he said.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she shook her head. "No, I know you would do that for her," she said. She searched hastily for the words, but wasn't entirely confident she had found the right ones. "I guess, what I'm really trying to say is I'm sorry for everything since you've gotten here. I'm just so used to thinking of you as the boy I fell in love with in high school, the one whose jokes always made me laugh." She smiled softly, hoping he would feel her sincerity. "I loved you, but I always saw you as just a kid who gave me everything that ever mattered in my life. Seeing you here, seeing the man – the profiler! – you've become has made me realize I need to learn to trust you."

She truly meant it, and she hoped he would see it.

Derek remained silent for a long moment. She watched him as he watched her.

"I figured you'd come around," he said finally, grinning even wider. Leaning forward, he put his hand behind her neck and kissed her forehead. She smiled and pulled him into a hug, resting her head against his chest. She sighed as she inhaled his musky cologne, relishing the familiarity. Tingles of pleasure rolled through her skin as he hugged her back, running his hand through the waves of her hair.

Something awakened in her then, a carnal desire to return to her past and the pure joy she'd felt being with Derek. But they were grown now. They'd learned so much since their youthful romance, and all she wanted was him out of his clothes, both of them with each other as the grown people they'd become.

Looking up at him, Penelope locked their eyes. She touched his chin. Her fingers knew every inch of his body. He remained still as stone beneath her touch, but soon he grasped her hand within his. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and broke their gaze. She knew he was fighting the urge to touch her more, but she was so overcome with the moment that she refused to accept his reluctance.

"Don't hold back," she whispered, leaning forward so her lips touched the tip of his earlobe.

His breathing became labored, each exhale growing more ragged. She ran her hand up his torso, fingering the neckline of his t-shirt. She still hadn't kissed him, even as her lips burned for contact. But her fingers worked diligently, another hand running up his chest.

When he could take no more, he pulled her tight against him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling his face down so his lips hovered above hers.

"We need to be quiet," he warned.

"How do you think we ended up with our baby girl?" She laughed, her voice soft as the twinkling of a bell. "Wouldn't have happened if we hadn't been quiet."

Unable to hold back anymore, she clutched the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Their lips danced. Fireworks exploded behind her eyelids, so intense that she forced herself to stifle a moan of excitement. Derek's full weight fell on her, and she landed against the counter with a dull thud.

"Bedroom," Penelope hissed. They needed to get behind a closed door before they became nothing but a mass of tangled arms and legs. Their hands were already meshing together.

Derek's hands clasped around her hips, and he nudged her upwards with his pelvis. "Wrap your legs around me," he murmured. She complied, and he carried her down the hall. They never broke contact. Waves of pure energy flowed through her limbs, driving her ferocity. And where her passion grew, so did his.

She didn't realize they had reached his bedroom until she heard the gentle tap of Derek's foot on the door. He laid her on his king size bed with its crisp linen sheets. It was so different from the twin size bed from high school, covered in a worn quilt. And despite the feeling of home and wistfulness that came from being with Derek, he was more practiced. In the soft light of his bedroom, she stared up at him. He removed his shirt, baring his muscular chest to her. Her breathing grew more rapid, and she sat up, greedily reaching for him and his sculpted abdomen.

"C'mere," she whispered, digging her nails into his skin.

Derek grinned at her, leaning down to cup her face in his hands. "Yes, ma'am," he murmured, capturing her lips with his.

The two of them rolled on the top of the bed, tearing at each other's clothes until there was nothing between them but a thin layer of sweat. Derek thrust his fingers into her hair, tugging gently so she tilted her head back and exposed the soft skin of her throat. He pressed a line of kisses down her neck, making her shiver with anticipation.

"Please…" Her voice sounded raspy, frantic.

His lips broke from her skin so he could lock their eyes together once more. Grinning, his teeth shone white in the dark room, brighter than the light on the nightstand. Not breaking their gaze, he slid his hand between her legs. She gasped, biting her lip to keep from crying out. "Please what?" he whispered.

Penelope arched her back, riding his hand in a desperate attempt to relieve the tension building in her groin. "I need you inside me," she murmured.

He knelt in front of her on the bed, straddling her. Every rock solid inch of him sent a delicious tremor through her body. His weight over her was heavenly. She wanted him to stay there, warm and comforting and unwavering. All of the sudden, Derek pulled her upwards. Their eyes locked. She sucked in a breath. His eyes blazed into hers, making her heart pound so hard she thought it might jump out of her chest.

"This is what you want?"

His voice sounded so serious, like he wasn't sure she was telling the truth. But she knew. She was so overcome with emotions, so wrapped in her desire to reacquaint herself with his body, that she needed this. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his in the gentlest touch. She moved to rest their cheeks together. She nibbled on his earlobe before whispering, "Yes."

Without hesitation, he lifted her as if she were a feather, and gently set her back in his lap so they slipped together. Biting down on her lip, Penelope suppressed a moan. They needed to stay quiet. As they rocked back and forth, Derek trailed gentle kisses across her collarbone. Her skin tingled and burned where his lips left their mark.

"Fuck, Baby Girl," Derek growled against her breasts. The sound of his voice, thick with desire, made her shiver.

Giggling, Penelope pushed him backwards so she gazed down at him. With one hand balancing on his chest, she used the other to push her mess of curls out of her face. She rolled her hips. She took his hands and brought them up to cup her breasts. He never looked away from her.

Moving faster, she arched her back. She gasped, desperate for air. Sex with Derek as a teenager had been an exhilarating experience. He was her first love, and that love had come with a beautiful way to lose her virginity. Sex with him now was an entirely different story. It was intense. He made love to her like he was drowning and she was the only thing that could save him. She didn't want it to end.

But gradually the feeling of climax started to grow. She sought to receive that climax. The moment she leaned down and kissed him deeply, they both got exactly what they wished for.


	10. Waking Up

**Disclaimer:**

 **AN**

Derek woke early. Beside him lay Penelope, her hair rumpled and her breathing soft. His fingers itched to reach out and touch her. He refrained from doing it. If he did, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop. Last night was one of the best he'd had in a long time. Removing his eyes from the slumbering Penelope, he stared upward at the ceiling and studied the plain cream-colored wall. He sighed.

What was he doing? Penelope had a boyfriend, and one who apparently rivaled Derek in handsomeness and built. She thought Derek was nothing but a kid in an adult's body. Even if he asked her to get back with him she would say no. Nothing would convince her otherwise. She may have said one thing last night, but he knew she had just been caught up in the moment. He knew her well enough to know what she was really thinking. And he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with that.

Before he could get lost more into the depths of his mind, he slid soundlessly from his crisp white sheets. He didn't want to disturb her. Rubbing his eyes to wake himself, he began crafting a response for why Penelope was sleeping in his room for Damaris. She wouldn't be up yet. Weekends were her time to sleep in, and he didn't think she would see him coming out of his room.

He left his room, fully dressed, pressing the door shut behind him as quiet as possible. He made sure to eliminate the click of the door to make sure every one in the apartment remained oblivious to him moving around. The last thing he needed was his daughter waking up to find him casually slipping from the room where Penelope and he had spent the previous night together.

Thankfully, when he walked out of the hall and into his open living room, Damaris was still sound asleep on the couch. Demona, the husky puppy who had been the birthday present, yawned as she heard Derek's soft steps enter the room. She moved away from Damaris, jumping down with a pant and licked at Derek's pants in greeting. He leaned down and ruffled her ears.

"Morning, pup," he muttered, rubbing his eyes again. "Coffee time until the girls wake up."

The puppy followed after him, dancing around his feet so he had to sidestep her to keep from tripping. As he started to brew coffee, he stared at the drip of the liquid. All the while, he pondered the night before. He stood perfectly still, save for his fingers thrumming against the countertop. His skin burned with the memory of Penelope's fingers splayed across his chest. He closed his eyes and remembered her atop him.

His mouth grew dry. God, he wanted her bare skin against his again. Penelope Garcia would always be a weakness for him, and nevermore than when they were intimate. Everything they did together was magic, he'd told her that many times throughout their lives. Several times in his life he thought what might happen if they got back together. He thought what could happen for him if he settled down and lived a fulfilling life with his daughter and her mother. He loved those thoughts, relishing in the feeling of being complete and part of a family that loved him. But then reality would come crashing down. He was a risk-taking FBI agent who was constantly putting his life on the line. Penelope would never want that in someone. She loved him, but as a friend. She wanted someone stable, and Derek was the farthest thing from that. His love for his job wouldn't let him give her what she wanted.

"Dad?"

Clearing his throat, Derek looked up from staring at the quickly filling coffee pot to find Damaris rubbing her eyes. Demona gave a happy yelp, rushing over to her girl to greet her girl. Damaris' eyes lit up as she leaned down to pick her dog up and snuggle into her fur.

"Morning, Baby Doll," Derek murmured, pulling two mugs out of the cupboard. He offered her one of the mugs, which led her to set Demona back on the floor so she could accept it. "Sleep well?"

She nodded, yawning. "Yeah. Sorry I fell asleep on your couch. Totally didn't mean to. Did Mom go home?"

He shook his head. "Nah," he said. "She, uh, she crashed in my room last night. I slept in your room so that she could have the bigger bed. Hope you don't mind."

Damaris shrugged. "Your house," she said, pushing around him to take the coffeepot. "Your rules."

Derek laughed, ruffling her messy hair. He leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. He was glad it was just the two of them right now. Now, this moment with just him and his daughter, was quiet. It gave him a break before Penelope emerged and he would have to face his conflicting feelings.

He began to regret that thought, though, when he was met with a scrutinizing glance from Damaris. She pursed her lips, studying his face. "What's up with you?" she asked, sipping her coffee. She leaned against the counter and blew on the coffee, all the while keeping her eyes on Derek.

Shuffling his feet, Derek cleared his throat. "Uh…" He paused. "Not sure what you're talking about." He looked away. He didn't want to deal with Damaris now, not as he grappled with the events from the night before.

"Good morning!"

Jumping in surprise, Derek's eyes went wide as he turned to find Penelope entering the kitchen. She was fully dressed, back in her clothes from yesterday and a bounce in her step. She placed a kiss on Damaris' head and leaned down to pet the dog. When she looked back up, her eyes found Derek's. A fresh blush lit up her face, like a morning sunrise peeking from behind the horizon.

Derek wanted to reach over, take her in her arms, and kiss her good morning. Every inch of him burned to do so.

He resisted.

Clearing his throat, he broke her gaze and turned to the coffeepot. He poured three mugs for each of them. His fingers brushed Penelope's as he handed her the mug. The tips of his fingers burned, but he avoided her gaze.

But when he looked up on accident and met her eyes, he couldn't look away. Her brandy-colored eyes were lit up, even though coffee had not yet touched her lips. She smiled. He swallowed hard and suppressed his own smile. The air felt muggy, like he was wading through a swamp of tension. As he stared at her, her smile began to droop.

"Umm, so what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Penelope asked, accepting the coffee and taking a sip. It was Derek's day to spend with Damaris, and she sounded curious.

Damaris perked up. "Well, now that we have this baby," she said, picking up Demona to cuddle her, "I was thinking we could go to the park and just spend the day with her. We could get some takeout and have, like, a picnic." She turned to Penelope and grinned. "I was kind of hoping we could all go together. You down?"

Derek shoulders tensed. He wanted her to come, but he also knew that if she did he would not be able to handle the emotional weight of her presence.

Derek Morgan could handle anything in this world. But aside from his daughter, Penelope was his greatest weakness. And she had the ability to bring him to his knees.

Penelope was silent for a long moment, but finally said, "Actually, I have a bit of house work to do. I probably won't go because of that."

He stole a quick glance at her and noticed her face had gone pale. She had gone into hiding behind her coffee cup.

"Aww, that's okay," Damaris said, kissing the top of the puppy's head.

Derek nodded and forced a wide smile. He crossed the kitchen to start retrieving pans. "Let me cook my gi– " Abruptly he stopped himself. After his night with Penelope, and knowing that he would never truly have her as his own, he didn't think he could bring himself to call her his girl. He tried again. "Let me cook you both some breakfast before we get going."

"Sounds great!" Damaris said, happily oblivious to the tension in the room. She cooed to her dog, happily letting the puppy lick her cheeks. Derek looked at his daughter to try and escape the tension between he and Penelope.

"Yeah," Penelope said in a small voice. "That sounds good."

Derek kept his eyes glued away from her, repressing every single desire his muscles screamed for.

XXXXX

Penelope closed the door behind her as she entered her apartment. She looked around the apartment, still as a hot summer evening without Damaris there. The silence suffocated her, as if she were breathing thick smoke and not clean air. Her throat constricted and she wrapped her arms around herself. Her phone pinged with a text from Jason, but she ignored it.

Fingering her shirt, she inhaled deeply. She still smelled of her tryst with Derek. His scent was musky, as if his hunger for her still lingered in the cotton fabric. When she closed her eyes she saw him, felt his hands branded into her skin. His touch had been gentle, like he was holding back a desire for her. His kisses remained on her skin. Just like when they were younger, they'd made magic together.

That morning, waking up in his bed in a tangle of sheets, had been a shock. But she'd smiled. She wished Derek were beside her so she could smile with him. She found herself confused by what had come over her, but she felt so good waking up that she was willing to set aside sifting through those emotions to stay that way. She hoped he felt the same way.

But when she found him in the kitchen his reaction had been anything but what she felt. Derek had refused to look at her. He'd refused to look at her through breakfast, or even when she had left is apartment.

He thought of last night as a mistake, even when the words hadn't left his lips.

With her tight throat, Penelope sat on the couch. She rubbed her knees. Her eyes burned, but she suppressed her tears.

 _Serves me right for how it's been since he got here…how I've been since he got here._

Penelope thought of what it might be like if she fought for that feeling. She could still taste that feeling on the tip of her tongue, still feel the tingle of it in her toes. But his refusal to look at her and the effect it could have on Damaris to see her parents reunite, and possibly break up, told her it was impossible. If Derek didn't want her, she wasn't going to push it. No beautiful feeling of waking up happy in his bed was enough to make her jeopardize her daughter's life.

And sacrificing that feeling was enough to finally make her tears fall.


	11. Moving On

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.**

 **AN: Sorry I keep forgetting to place Author's Notes in these before I post! I'm a bit too scatterbrained for my own good. Thank you very much to all of you reading and reviewing. I'm hoping to also start a new Morcia story at some point too because I'm finding myself needing something different. Who knows, though. We'll see :)**

Damaris sat on the floor of her and her mother's apartment, digging through a box of her mother's memorabilia. Both her parents were still stuck at work, leaving her and her puppy the run of the house. And for that she was grateful. She needed time to stew over the fact her birthday had done nothing to bring Derek and Penelope closer together. The night seemed like they were all a family, bringing her some hope that maybe things had changed.

The whole week after revealed Damaris could not have been more wrong. Penelope had been on two dates with Jack. Derek rarely mentioned Penelope's name. There was an air of stifling civility that Damaris couldn't help but roll her eyes at every time they happened to be in the same room at the same time.

"Pupper, I need to find something in here from when they were kids," Damaris groused to Demona, who lay at her side chewing on a rubber toy. "Bring back their spark or something like that."

Demona's only response was a squeak from her toy.

Damaris fumbled with a box, using her pocketknife from her Aunt Emily to slit the packing tape open. The box smelled like a young girl's body spray, one Damaris assumed her mother might have used as a child. It was full of old journals and pictures. Her fingers brushed the frame of a picture of her mother and grandparents. She stopped and looked at their faces. Penelope was probably Damaris' age, smiling with her arms wrapped around her own mother's waist. Damaris smiled, setting the photo aside so she could give it to Penelope later.

Next she picked up a stack of journals, all in varying colors and patterns. _Mom's style still hasn't changed much_ , Damaris thought to herself with a smile. She knew on her mother's desk there were some notebooks that looked identical to these old ones. Flipping through the worn pages, her eyes scanned Penelope's curvy script. She didn't take long to read through the journals, not wanting to completely invade her mother's private thoughts.

But as she flipped through page after page, she finally found something she thought might work. Picking up the yellowing strip of paper, she smiled. The room stilled. Even Demona had quieted, rising to her small legs to snuggle up on Damaris' lap.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone to text Derek. "Maybe this will work," Damaris murmured, rubbing her dog's ears.

XXXXX

Penelope rubbed her forehead as she locked up her office. Her head ached and she wanted nothing more than to drown in a bottle of wine. All week had been this way. Physically, she was fine. Her emotions were an entire other matter. She had spent her week frazzled and wanting to escape the confines of her office and the BAU in general. Even two dates with Jack weren't enough to make her forget her heartache. When Damaris had texted her just half an hour ago to let her know she had to go to Derek's house for something and would not be home until the next day, Penelope had been slightly relieved. Wine would be her best and only companion that night.

"Garcia!" someone called to her as she started for the elevators.

Turning to face the bullpen, she saw both JJ and Tara coming through the glass doors with warm smiles on their faces. Penelope tried to return their grins, but knew it was falling flat.

"Hey, you two," she said, swallowing hard.

JJ stopped in front of her, reaching up to touch the large pink flower pin in Penelope's hair. "Hey, yourself," she said.

"You're not busy are you?" Tara asked, stopping right next to JJ.

"Umm…" Penelope tried. She paused, thinking she might need to lie.

JJ shook her head, wagging a finger at her to cut her off. "Tut tut," she said. "Don't try to get out of it. We heard Derek talking on the phone with Damaris earlier. We know she's not going to be home, so you have no reason you can't come with us."

"It's just you guys?" Penelope asked, trying to ignore the mention of Derek's name.

Tara nodded vigorously. "Just us," she said. "And we're taking you out. You look like you need it."

JJ linked her arm through Penelope's, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "What Tara said." Pressing the button to go down, she smiled. Penelope blinked at them several times, still feeling unsure. Was she going to be able to have a night out without breaking down? JJ saw her indecision and gave her a sad smile. "C'mon. You need this. You need a little time with the girls."

A stinging sensation built behind her eyes. Penelope knew she wasn't going to make it without crying now. At least it was just JJ and Tara she would be breaking down with. Choking past a lump in her throat, Penelope nodded. "Okay."

In less than half an hour the three women were nestled in a back booth at one of their favorite bars. The bar was dim with purple and blue backlights on the wall as the only light to see by. People were packed in like sardines, filling the whole space with a soft din that made it difficult for the three to even hear one another. Penelope was glad for the noise, as it helped push thoughts of the previous weekend from her mind. Tara had managed to push through the crowd and returned with three drinks. After one sip, Penelope knew she was probably going to be on her ass by the end of the evening.

"Alright," Tara said, taking a sip of her own drink. "Start from the beginning. What's going on?"

Penelope pursed her lips, picking one of the cherries out of her fuzzy navel and popping it in her mouth. The sickeningly sweet, grenadine coated fruit spread through her mouth, but somehow it ended up leaving a bitter aftertaste.

JJ's hand settled over top of hers, giving it a squeeze. Penelope looked up at her. Pity clouded JJ's eyes, making Penelope's cheeks heat and her eyes sting all over again. She hated that look, even where it came from a place of love from JJ. "Garcie, what's going on?" JJ asked. Penelope's eyes flicked from Tara to JJ. She tried to hold in her tears, to keep from blinking, but soon enough a few were falling down her cheeks in small trails.

"It's…" She couldn't even find the words because she knew she would have to say Derek's name if she were going to be honest with her friends at all. Finally, she blinked, and more tears streamed down her cheeks. They reached her chin, and she finally wiped them away hurriedly before her face got too sticky.

"It's got to do with Derek, doesn't it?" Tara asked.

Penelope bit her lip and looked up at Tara. "I hate profilers," she mumbled, pushing her glasses to the top of her head to wipe the tears from beneath her eyelids. "You know that?" She coughed. "What gave it away?"

JJ leaned over and wrapped an arm around Penelope's shoulders. "Garcia, you two have been overly civil to one another," she said. "Neither of you are acting the way you normally do."

"Too tense," Tara agreed. "And I've caught him looking at you like a someone kicked his dog."

Penelope huffed, holding her tongue. _Figures he would act like it's my fault._ She may have slept with him on an impulse, but when they'd been together, all impulse had gone out the window. Everything became purposeful. He'd held her so gently and kissed her so fiercely she was ready to drop everything for him. She thought maybe he had felt the same.

"It's going to be fine," she said finally, not wanting to get into any of the details. "We just…we just misread each other I think."

Tara and JJ exchanged a glance. They seemed to be trying to communicate something to one another, but Penelope didn't want to try and decipher what that communication was. Instead, her eyes fell back to her drink and she took a long gulp.

"What happened between you two?" JJ asked.

Penelope kept her eyes averted and said nothing. Each sip she took of her drink continued to taste sour as it slid down her throat. She would let her profiler friends figure out for themselves what happened. Neither of them spoke, and Penelope figured they probably took the message.

"Well, here's an idea," JJ said, snapping her fingers. "And it's a good one." Penelope still didn't look up, and received a shake on the shoulder. "Hey, listen to me. You're going to like it." Penelope rolled her eyes and looked up at her friend. JJ gave her a cheesy grin. "Okay, first you're going to smile, and then I'll tell you my plan." Penelope felt the desire to glare at JJ instead of give her the smile she wanted. But looking between JJ and Tara and the over-excited grins they plastered on their faces to cheer her up made it impossible. Wiping the remnants of tears from her cheeks, she stuck her tongue out at JJ and smiled.

Lifting her glass, JJ motioned for Tara and Penelope to do the same. "What you're going to do is you're going to is drink with us tonight, spend the day with Damaris tomorrow, and you're going to give that handsome new man in your life a call and go on so many dates with him that you forget about the baby daddy." She smiled. "You think you can do that for us?"

Penelope nodded, clinking her glass with her friends'. She wasn't sure it would be as simple as JJ's proclamation was making it out to be. Every time she blinked she saw Derek, felt his lips on hers. It was unlikely just a few dates with Jack would make her forget that.

But she could try. "For you two, I would do anything," she purred, putting as much enthusiasm into her toast as she could.

XXXXX

"Sweetie, what was so pressing you had to come running over here?" Derek asked as he let Damaris into his apartment. She and her dog trotted in, both with a bounce in their steps. He shut the door, turning to follow after her as she went toward the living room and plopped on the couch. He frowned at her nonchalance. "Your text sounded urgent."

Damaris looked up at him and grinned. "Nah, I just wanted to come hang out with you this weekend," she said. "I thought maybe I could give Mom the night with Jack, and the two of us could hang."

Derek just blinked at her. His jaw ticked, but he said nothing. He couldn't help but feel crushed that Penelope had gone on not one, but two dates with her boyfriend that week. Green flashes of jealousy flickered throughout his body any time he heard the man's name mentioned. He hadn't even met Jack and he hated him.

Going around to sit next to Damaris, he ruffled Demona's ears. "Okay," he said slowly, trying to find words around the boyfriend. "Um, do you want to order some takeout? We can watch a movie with food?"

His daughter nodded vigorously. "Food sounds great," she said, "I'm starving." She pulled her backpack up onto her lap and started rifling through it. Derek laughed at her persistence. Finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a small notebook. "I found something I think you'll like."

He raised his eyebrows as she handed the thin sheet of paper to him. It wasn't just a piece of paper, but rather a small reel of photos. There were five of them, each one of him and Penelope when they'd been teenagers. He remembered exactly when they'd been taken. It was the local carnival that came to town every year. In each one he and Penelope were squished together, holding each other tightly. Some of the shots had them smiling, some had them making silly faces. Another showed their lips locked together.

"Where the hell did you find these?" he asked with a chuckle.

"It was in a box with some of mom's old journals and pictures," she said. "I was just looking around and found it."

"Wow," he said. "I had hair in these." He smiled, nostalgia rolling through him in a pleasant wave. He almost forgot about his sore heart and the realization he needed to push Penelope away.

"Well, I thought you should take this," Damaris said. "Looks like something you'd keep around."

Derek's eyes remained glued to the pictures. He couldn't look away from Penelope. For a long moment he considered taking Damaris up on the offer. Maybe keeping these close would help him forget he could no longer have the real thing with Penelope. His insides warmed.

But he knew he couldn't. He needed to move on.

Handing the photo strip over to Damaris again, he shook his head. "Nah," he said. "You keep it, Baby Doll. It'll be something good for you to remember us by." And with a swift cough, he pulled his phone out of his pocket to call for takeout. "Chinese sound okay?"


	12. Preparations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.**

 **Here's the next update. We finally get to meet Penelope's boyfriend, Jack in this one. I hope you'll like him because I'm having a lot of fun writing him. No Damaris in this one, we're just focusing on Morgan and Garcia :) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**

"Everyone ready for the gala tonight?" Penelope asked in a giddy voice. She sat in her place at the head of the round table, grinning at the members of her team who were in the room.

Rossi grinned cheekily, smoothing the lapel of his blazer. "I will be attending the party with the woman who will be the most beautiful in the room," he boasted. "Hayden hasn't even let me see her gown. Says it's bad luck."

JJ frowned. "That's a wedding thing, Rossi," she said. He shook his head and she laughed. "Okay, but what is going to be tainted with bad luck if you happen to see the dress beforehand?"

"I don't want any bad luck ruining my night," Rossi said, winking at JJ. "Galas are _always_ good evenings."

Both Tara and Penelope burst into laughter. "Maybe I should have waited to show Jack my dress," Penelope giggled.

"Penelope, you won't have _any_ bad luck with the dress you bought," Tara said. "You'll be lucky either way." She and JJ both gave her bright grins. Penelope's cheeks flushed crimson.

"Who's getting lucky?"

Penelope and the others looked to see Derek and Reid entering the round table room. Derek sat beside her, the place he made sure everyone else knew was his, arching his brow as he awaited her answer. She swiveled in her chair so she could face him. "Hopefully me." She grinned.

Since taking JJ and Tara's advice just a few weeks ago, she'd felt happier. Derek and she had all but shoved their passionate night under the bed, giving her the opportunity to try moving on. And she had. With Jack, she was starting to feel better. She _liked_ him. Even Derek wasn't going to rain on that parade. He hadn't tried, though. In fact, their relationship transformed right back to the platonic flirtationship it had been.

Derek's lips quirked into a smile. "Get a sexy dress for tonight?" He winked at her, a devilish twinkle entering his eyes.

She had to resist the urge to swat him in the arm. She knew he was thinking of the pink sundress she'd worn the afternoon before they'd consummated their relationship and ended up with Damaris. Instead, she settled for sticking out her tongue at him.

"See, this man gets it!" Rossi said, leaning over to shake Derek's hand with vigor. "It's all about the dress. Determines the evening's activities following the main event."

Reid leaned forward with interest. "You know, I've never heard this theory," he said, folding his hands in front of him. "What exactly makes the dress – "

Derek shook his head. "Kid, some things just can't be explained. Trust me, a good dress or tux is always going to lead to some fun night activities." He grinned so wide his blinding white teeth lit up the whole room. "And I'm hoping Savannah's dress is gonna be my ticket to a good night."

Penelope swallowed hard and leaned back. "Oh? Who's that?" she asked, pretending to be merely curious.

"That's the doctor Morgan met a few weeks ago," Reid jumped in. "I was with him getting coffee and got to see him in action." He seemed rather proud of himself for having the knowledge of Derek's latest conquest before anyone else.

JJ laughed. "In action? What does _that_ look like?"

"I'd imagine Morgan's pick-up skills are impressive," a stern voice said. Hotch swept into the round table room. His face was stern, but there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "But right now we've got a day full of reports to get done. I know I will need to be out of here on time if I'm going to be ready for the gala tonight, and I'm assuming the rest of you will want to be, too. So let's get to work."

Penelope chewed on her lip as the meeting began. She glanced sideways at Derek, feeling torn between being glad for him that he'd found someone the way she found Jack and being jealous he was finding another woman whose dress he found desirable enough to fall into bed with.

XXXXX

"Wow." Jack whistled as he let Penelope into his apartment. He adjusted his tie, falling speechless as she entered into the foyer.

She smiled, a pretty blush lighting up her face. Her dress hung off her curves in all the right places. It was a beautiful soft blue color and strapless. The neckline didn't plunge, but it flattered her figure in a beautiful way. Beneath her dress was a pair of strappy silver shoes. Her hair was pulled up in a loose, curly updo with tendrils that framed her face.

She winked at Jack, coming into his house and pecking his lips. She had to stand on her tip-toes – even in high heels – but he tasted so good she didn't mind one bit.

"The dress make you happy?" she asked.

Jack grinned cheekily. "Ecstatic," he said. He kissed her deeper. "You look beautiful."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling. She observed him. He really did look like Jason Momoa, from the broad muscles to the toasted brown skin to the shaggy brown hair streaked with copper locks. He had a partiality for dark beers, was a political reporter in Washington, and – most odd of all – threw tomahawks in his spare time. And he was good enough in bed that he made her forget Derek.

She couldn't have asked for more from a man.

Taking his hand, she pulled him along out of the door so they could head out the door. "I'm so ready for this gala," she said.

He smiled. " _I'm_ excited to meet your coworkers," he said. He ran a hand through his hair. She swore he blushed. It was incredibly adorable. "Do you think they'll like me?"

Penelope squeezed his hand. "If they don't like you, they're nuts," she said, confident. "But I wouldn't really worry about that."

They reached Jack's car in the parking garage, a worn Jeep, as she gave him the rundown of all the team members. "So JJ is the petite blonde. She's absolutely adorable and can kick your toosh into next week, even with you being twice her size. Tara's the forensic psychologist, _hella_ smart and tough as nails." She counted them off on her fingers as Jack started the car. "Reid is our resident genius, he's got three . and graduated high school when he was 12. Rossi is the older gentleman, one of the founders of the BAU. He's a player, but he's finally back with his second wife and mother of his daughter, Joy. Then we've got Hotch, our fearless leader. He probably won't smile at you much, but he'll definitely like you."

She paused for a moment, biting her lip. Hesitating, she pondered how to tell him about Derek. Jack knew full well about Damaris, who was such an integral part of Penelope's life that she would not have been able to stop talking about her for even a few moments. However, she had not told him Derek worked with her and was part of her everyday routine. And she most definitely had not told him that she still had moments where she felt Derek's breath on her skin.

That she was still nursing the wounds of his rejection. That she was still trying to forget the memory of him saying, _Fuck, Baby Girl_ as she straddled his waist.

She swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly arid as the Sahara.

"Penelope?"

Startled, Penelope glanced over at him and smiled. Thankfully he had drawn her out of her memories.

"Yeah?"

"You got real quiet all of the sudden," he observed.

Taking a deep breath, she sighed and said, "So, there's something pretty important I haven't told you yet. It's about the last member of the team I'm about to tell you about." He arched a brow as he drove. At a red light, he glanced over at her, awaiting the rest. "His name...his name is Derek. Derek Morgan."

Jack frowned before understanding took over his face. "Derek Morgan…as in Damaris Morgan's dad?"

Penelope nodded, wringing her hands together. "Yeah," she said. "See, he stayed in Chicago after me and Damaris moved here. But then he transferred for the BAU about a year ago. I won't lie, he's my best friend. He's always going to be in my life."

"Well, I'll be honored to meet your best friend," Jack said, reaching over to take her hand. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

Perking up, she asked, "Really? You – you don't mind?"

Jack shrugged. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it'll be kind of weird having to be around him, but I'll deal with it if he's your best friend." He smiled at her and winked. "As long as he doesn't make any steps to take my lady." He pulled her hand over to press a gentle kiss on it.

She had to resist the urge to cry tears of joy. Jack really was too good to be true. Now all she needed was for her lingering feelings for Derek to turn to a puff of smoke so she could keep moving forward.


	13. The Gala

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.**

 **Hey all! Thank you so much for the reviews and patience with my inconsistent posting. I've been preoccupied with writing my book and it's been hard to get to my fanfics. I've got more Morcia ideas brewing, I just need to get them down haha. As for this chapter, we've got more mopey-jealous Derek. I'll be honest, I actually enjoy writing him that way ;)**

"This is incredible," Savannah breathed as Derek and she entered the Ritz Carlton in Washington DC.

Derek flashed her a grin as they gave their coats to the bellboy. Savannah wore a flowing red strapless gown. Based on the conversation in the round table room earlier that day, he would be having a very good night.

He was glad he'd met her those weeks ago. The gala had been fast approaching when they'd met, and he had been frantically searching for a date. He would be damned if he was the only one on the BAU team who went to the gala without a date.

"My first one, too, at a swanky place like this," he said, offering her his arm. "The Director will be here."

"Oh!" Savannah said, seeming excited. "It's not every day you get to see a superstar in flesh and blood."

The two made small talk as they entered the main ballroom. The room was already bustling, agents and federal employees mingling and taking glasses of wine or champagne. Derek scanned the room, searching for his team members. Hotch's characteristic stare caught his attention.

"I see my team," he said, giving her a cue to follow him toward his team. At first he grinned at them, all gathered together in a circle. That smile fell when his eyes reached Penelope. She wore a blue dress that hugged her curves tastefully. Her hair was up in a loose updo, some of her curls framing her face. When she tilted her head and her eyes were visible, they glittered.

Derek's mouth went dry.

But beside her was a man that stood at almost a whole foot taller than her. His arm was wrapped gently around her waist. When he glanced at Penelope, his eyes lit up. He adored her. He was everything Penelope had described him as.

"Ah, Derek!" Rossi boomed, raising his wine glass to him.

Derek and Savannah stopped as they were allowed into the group's circle. He raised a hand to greet them, his eyes lingering on Penelope's just a half second longer than the others. She returned the look with a soft smile.

"Hey, hey," he said. He turned and placed his hand between Savannah's shoulder blades. "BAU, this is Dr. Savannah Hayes. Savannah, my team." He went around the circle, introducing them each to Savannah. She shook hands with them all, smiling and greeting them generously. Finally, he came to Penelope. He cleared his throat before saying more. "And this lovely lady is our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia. Her date – "

Jack leaned forward to shake Savannah's hand. "Jack Harrison," he said with a smile before returning his hand to Penelope's waist. "Nice to meet you." Derek narrowed his eyes at Jack's hand.

As Penelope and she shook her hands, Savannah tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "Penelope…you know you look like just like the picture of Derek's daughter!"

Penelope looked between Derek and Savannah before nodding. "Oh, well Damaris is my daughter, too," she said with a laugh. "Did Morgan not mention we worked together?"

Derek felt the urge to smack himself in the forehead. He'd been so focused on not being an ass to Jack and wondering what Penelope's dress would look like that he had neglected to mention to his child's mother and he worked on the same team. This wasn't exactly how he'd imagined his evening going. And based on the uncomfortable looks on his team's and their dates' faces, it was not how they thought they would be meeting Derek's new girlfriend.

Savannah looked at him with a confused, anxious smile. "Well," he tried. "Yeah, I think it slipped my mind." A decoy idea sprang up in his mind, and he pulled Savannah by the waist toward him. He grinned. "I was too concentrated on my lady here I didn't even think to say it. I mean, damn! Would anyone remember anything if they got struck with this much sexy?" For good measure, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

He couldn't stop himself from sneaking a look at Penelope to see her reaction. But she hadn't seemed to notice. Her eyes were locked on Jack's as she accepted the glass of champagne he picked off a tray for her. She was entranced with him.

 _What the fuck does this guy do that gets her so googly-eyed?_ he thought, frustrated.

"It's so great to meet you all!" Savannah said, blushing a pleasant pink color as she pulled away from Derek.

"You too," Penelope said, turning to look back at Savannah and the rest of the group. "And your dress is beautiful."

Derek watched as the entire group of BAU agents broke into laughter. It was true. They all looked beautiful in their own unique dresses. All Derek could think, though, was that there was one dress that stuck out among them all.

XXXXX

Derek sat at one of the tables closest to the open bar that had been opened to the gala guests. After listening to speeches from various upper level bureaucrats and even Director Comey himself, his team had dispersed to speak with others. In Rossi and Reid's cases, they'd gone home. Worst of all, his date had bailed on the whole event. She'd been called into work for an emergency surgery. Her promise of meeting him for dinner the next night to make up for it couldn't lift his spirit.

So Derek remained glued to a chair near the bar, alone at the moment. He didn't mind. After being tired of making small talk with a large number of FBI members, he'd sent a few texts to Damaris.

"Hey you," a voice said.

Looking up from his glass of scotch, Derek found Penelope smiling at him. She sat beside him and nudged his shin with a strappy silver shoe. He looked around for Jack. Huffing to himself, he couldn't help but wonder what had pried the broad-shouldered man from Penelope's for the first time that evening.

He arched a brow at her. "Where's Jack?"

A dreamy look overtook Penelope's gaze. "Oh, he just had to use the bathroom," she said. "What about Savannah? I haven't seen her in a little while tonight."

"She was on call and there was a surgery they needed her for," he said, sipping his scotch.

Penelope gave him a teasing pout. "Aww, there went your _fun_ evening," she said. He grinned cheekily, making her laugh. "You don't seem all that upset about it."

"Well, she promised we'd get dinner tomorrow night to make up for it," he said.

Her expression softened. "She wasn't too upset was she? I mean, about the fact we still work together and are friends?"

He shook her head. "Nah, not at all," he said. "She thought it was a bit weird, but she wasn't upset. We're still getting together tomorrow, so…"

"Good!" Penelope said, clapping her hands together. "I'm so happy we found such great dates. Savannah seems nice. And I know Jack is! He's amazing right? He was so happy to meet you all. Even after I mentioned we worked together…"

Derek watched her lips move, but the sound of her voice faded until he felt like he was in a vacuum. As she went on about Jack and how wonderful he was, Derek found himself hating the other man. Despite the fact he was kind, both in person and in every story Penelope had told the team, Derek found him annoying. The way he carried himself with confidence and kindness toward Penelope made his blood boil.

Derek had to remind himself he had no business feeling that way. He'd had his chance with Penelope all those years ago, though. They were meant for something different than romance.

"I think I'm going to introduce him to Damaris soon," she was saying when sound finally started to filter into his ears again. "She's seen pictures of him and I've told her what he's like, but they haven't met in person yet."

Derek's expressive brows shot upwards. "Wow, you're getting that serious with him?" he asked. The surprises just kept coming. At this rate he was going to need a few more scotches.

She nodded with excitement growing in her eyes that continued to burn brighter as her happiness mounted. "Yeah, yeah we're getting really serious. I haven't been this serious with someone in a long while. She's only met like two of my boyfriends before. And those were the only ones I was even serious about."

He averted his eyes. A lump of irritation burned in his throat that he forced himself to swallow past. "Wow," he said, letting out a low whistle. He struggled to find words, but, ever the improviser, managed to come up with something. "That's amazing, Baby Girl. I'm really happy for you." He looked back at her finally, loving that she looked so happy, but hating it wasn't him who brought her that happiness.

Penelope met his gaze. "Thanks, Derek," she murmured. "I really appreciate it." She leaned over and took his hand. In turn, he brought hers up to his lips and planted a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Of course," he said. "I'll always be happy for you." That was only a half lie.

Giving his hand a squeeze, Penelope rose to her feet. She smoothed the front of her dress. "Well, I'm going to go find Jack. We're going to get going. Since you're not going with Savannah tonight, kiss Damaris goodnight for me, would you? "

"You got it," he said, giving her a half salute. "Goodnight, Garcia."

With a small wave, Penelope bounded off in search of her boyfriend. Rubbing his eyebrows, Derek downed the rest of his scotch and rose to his feet. He was going to need more than a few of those to get through the night.


End file.
